


Trespass

by Thetwentyonepafonies



Series: Trespass Series [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Mafia AU, Soulmate AU, fairly quick burn, hyungwon may be a mafia leader but he's a soft boi, if this looks familiar its probs bc I originally posted this on my tumblr, kidnapping and torture is mentioned, much love, protective hyungwon is soft hyungwon, so soft, there is a death of a named character but its not too major, there's violence but I don't think I get too graphic, they all are, well y'all can decide that for yourselves, which is why I used warning just in case
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2020-06-29 23:56:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 53,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19841212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thetwentyonepafonies/pseuds/Thetwentyonepafonies
Summary: You would think that one would be able to trust their soulmate, be able to love them unconditionally, and know them better than yourself. But that isn’t always the case. Who was H.One, and why did the universe think you could be soulmates?





	1. Puzzle

Here’s the thing about soulmates; everyone seems to have different ways of telling who their soulmate is. Some people don’t see color until they meet their soulmate. Others can write on their arm to communicate with their soulmate. Some share the same feelings with their soulmate. And some have a combination of ways to tell, though those are rare. Sometimes, soulmates never know they’re soulmates because, if for whatever reason someone doesn’t want another as a soulmate, they’d never see it. Occasionally, some will fall under the allusion that they’ve found their soulmates, and they think they’ve found them. Except, it’s never as true as it could be if they found their real soulmate.

There are stories. Stories about some soulmates being so connected that they are practically one. Once they meet and formed their bond, they were able to experience the same sensations, share thoughts if they so pleased, and so much more. You’ve always wanted to have that kind of bond, but you knew it was more unlikely than finding a unicorn. You only had the basic telltale sign of not being able to see color. It was a child’s fantasy thinking you’d ever have more.

There is one thing in common between all soulmates; however, Everyone has a meter on their forearm, telling them how much danger their soulmate is in. Frequently, more often at night, you’d glance down and see your soulmate in danger as pain began to flare in your arm. It worried you. What did they do that put them in danger so often? It worried you that they’d die before you got the chance to meet them.

You’ve gone twenty-six years of your life with only black and white vision. You’ve grown used to it. You stopped wondering what colors looked like a long time ago, relenting the bland world around you till the time came for you to meet your soulmate.

As you walked out of your Psychology for Genders lecture, you heard shouting. You slowly walked towards the commotion, following the others wanting to see what was happening.  
You heard the crack of bone, closely followed by a loud cry of pain. Quickening your step, you reach the problem. A tall, young man hovered over a scrawny looking kid, his fist raised to land another blow to the smaller kid’s face. He had that typical bad boy look. A leather jacket clung to his frame, dark hair falling into his face. Another man stood next to him, with his arms crossed over his chest. He too was wearing a leather jacket. He seemed taller, more lanky and weak-perhaps that’s why he was just standing there. His light hair fell over his eyes, hiding the deep, dark color in them. The two of them wore black face masks, making it impossible to see who they were.

You moved your gaze to the kid on the ground, blood gushing from his nose. The darker haired man must have broken it. Before you knew what you were doing, you threw yourself in front of him, taking a blow to the stomach. You grunted in pain, glaring at the two men before you. They both seemed surprised at the interruption, but before anyone could react, the light haired one grabbed the dark haired boy and pulled him away, walking quickly.

You turned to the kid, reaching your hand out to help him up. “What was that about?” you asked, tilting your head to the side in curiosity.

He gave you a small smile, “I just got myself into some trouble, is all.” He replied.

“Well, let’s get you to the hospital. See what they can do for your nose.”

~~~  
“Hey so uh..thank you for this. You really didn’t need to stop them.” The kid, who’s name you learned was Youngjae, said.

“It really wasn’t a problem.” you answered, smiling at him.

“You’re psychology major right?” He questioned.

You nod, wondering where he was going to go with this. “Could you help me with child development and understanding the brain? I’m a med student and I plan to go into pediatrics, but I’m struggling with the brain of a child.”

“Yeah sure, I can help you. I’m free this Friday, if that works for you?” you proposed. His nod confirms the date. “Awesome, then I will meet you at the library at say, 3 o’clock?”

“Yeah, that works for me. Again, thank you so much for your help.” he said.

All you could do was smile as you walked away.

It was a curious thing; why would anyone want to pick on him? What kind of trouble did he get into to deserve a broken nose? Maybe he got into trouble because of a girl? He didn’t seem like he’d do that though. Especially since everyone has their own soulmate.

You got lost in thought as you walked, not paying any bit of attention to where you walked. That is, until you bumped into somebody. You stumbled, catching yourself before you fell face first to the cement. The person you bumped into let out a curse, clearly ready to admonish you for not paying attention to where you were going. He stopped short, taking in your appearance and who you were. You recognized him immediately as the light haired guy from earlier, the one who just stood there watching Youngjae get beat up. “It’s you” he breathed.

You stared at him, taking in every detail you could. You needed to report him to your dad, warn him there was someone violent out on the streets. A couple seconds passed with just the two of you staring at each other. Before anything could be said, you turned on your heel and walked away.

He chased after you, stopping you by grabbing onto your wrist and pulling you to face him. “Wait.” he demanded, “who are you?”

You pulled away from him, refusing to answer his question. Seeing him was the last thing you wanted to do. You felt sorry for his soulmate; anyone who had to deal with him didn’t deserve it.  
You started walking away again, praying this time he’d leave you alone. A phone began ringing, and it took you a minute to realize it was your phone. Quickly taking it out of your pocket, you answered it without reading the caller I.D.

“Y/N where are you?” You’ve never been so relieved to hear your dad’s voice. “Your mom is making a fuss because dinner has been ready for the past twenty minutes, and you’re not here yet.” You could hear your mother complaining that dinner was ruined because she couldn’t heat it up without burning it.

“I’m sorry dad,” you apologized, “I got caught up in some things. I’ll tell you more about it when I get there. I think it’s definitely something you should look into.”

“Oh? You’re not hurt are you?” the concern in his voice made you smile.

“I’m fine. Might be a little sore in the morning, but I’m fine!” You reassured. “How was your day at work? Any luck solving that murder case?”

“No.” he sighed, “The closer we get, the further we get.”

You glanced behind you as you walked, satisfied when you didn’t see the man from before behind you. Still, you didn’t want to hang up with your dad just yet, in case he lurked in the shadows.  
Your dad was an investigator for the NIS. He was one of the best in the country. Of course, that meant you constantly had to move around, and sometimes you’d go months without seeing him. You were proud to call him your dad. He was loyal to the country and kept it safe. His job always worried your mom. Being the oldest daughter, you were the one to keep her sane while he was gone. When the meter on her arm spiked and began throbbing, you were always there with a heating pad and ice cream.

You didn’t hang up on him until you could see your house. They didn’t live too far from the hospital, which made the walk easy. You didn’t have to take the bus like you would have had you come from school.

The moment you opened the door to the house you could hear your mom complaining. “You know you didn’t have to wait for me right?” You called, announcing your arrival.

“Y/N!” You mom yelled, rushing over to you. “You’re late. And because you’re late dinner is cold.”

“Yeah..sorry mom. I had some things to take care of.” you replied.

“Why don’t we talk about that while we eat?” Your dad suggested.

Your stomach grumbled, announcing to everyone that you were ready for food. It was just you and your parents today. Your older brother was too busy with his work, and your younger sister was out with friends.

While you sat down at the table with your dad, your mom dished up the food. “So tell me all about what happened.” Your father said, leaning on the table.

“So, after class, I get out and there’s these two guys beating this kid up,” you launch into the story of your day, trying to give as much detail to your dad as you could. Of course, it’d be easier for him if you could give specific colors instead of the typical “Black, white, light, and dark.” One day though. One day you’d be able to describe colors to anyone who asked. You were sure of it.


	2. Can’t Breathe

“Okay I think I got it this time,” Youngjae said, staring at the picture of a brain you had on the table. “This is the amygdala.” He pointed to the picture of the brain, looking at you with hopeful eyes.

You laughed “No, not quite. That’s the just frontal lobe. The amygdala is over here, which is in the temporal lobe.” You guided his hand to the proper location.

“Oh..” his shoulders slumped.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it eventually.” You promised. “Why don’t we stop here for today? You can study on the brain and we’ll meet again back here Monday at 5. Sound good?”

“Yeah, perfect. Thank you so much y/n.” His grin lit up his face. You couldn’t help but smile back at him as you helped him gather his things.

He waved as he left, leaving you to clean up the rest of your things. You stopped short of putting your last book in your bag. It felt like someone was watching you. You surveyed the area, a shiver running down your spine when you saw nothing suspicious.

~~~

You put your book in your bag and slung it over your shoulder. You were starting to run late for work. You had the evening shift for the day and if you were late again your boss would deduct it from your pay.

Hurriedly, you shuffled your way to the coffee shop a block away. Lucky for you, your boss wasn’t in for the day. You put your bag in the back and threw on an apron, rushing to the front to start making drinks. Your friend Sohyun was at the register, giving you a reprimanding shake of the head. You could only shrug as you put your hair up in a bun.

You turned around and began reorganizing the syrups on the counter. For whatever reason, your coworker Yoongi loved to mess up the order of the syrups. It annoyed everyone, especially the customers who got a bad drink because of it. You turn around as you hear Sohyun greet a new customer. The man you see makes you pause, fear beginning to course through your veins. The funny thing is, is that his clothes were oddly vibrant. The black of his jacket seemed darker, and his shirt took on an odd shade. You looked away as soon as his eyes met yours. He was wearing a face mask, just like he was the previous time you saw him.

Your friend had to practically yell at you that he had ordered an iced americano. You could feel his eyes on you the entire time you made his drink. It made you nervous, shaky. You nearly messed up his drink twice, and almost tipped it over as you were putting the lid on the cup. Your arm was visibly shaking as you handed him his drink. 

He thanked you, brushing his fingers against yours as he took the drink. Suddenly, you could see him in perfect detail. The color of his hair seemed to shine more and the black of his jeans was faded, whereas his shirt didn’t appear to be black at all. You didn’t know what color that was. You gasped and took a step back, staring at him wide eyed. He winked at you before he left, leaving you breathing heavily and terrified.

~~~

After that encounter you started seeing him more. Every time you saw him, he had a face mask on. Not once, in the three months you’ve known him, have you seen him without it. The face mask, honestly, further alarmed you. He obviously had a reason to wear it constantly. Either something horrible had happened to him, or he was hiding. Being around him always made your skin crawl.

One time, you had caught him on a street corner, slapping a small man. You promptly turned on your heel and bolted in the opposite direction, not wanting to be caught in the mess.

He began frequenting the coffee shop you worked at, always seeming to come when you were working. You were sure it was only a matter of time until you were kidnapped. You wanted to avoid him like the plague. The worst part was that you couldn’t report him to your dad for a variety of reasons. Who knew what would happen to her if he found out she reported him? It wasn’t like he was stalking, and if he was she wouldn’t have proof to support her claims. Not to mention your dad was stressed enough about the murder of a colleagues family. It’s been a couple months now, and every lead they had led to a dead end. You suspected it was the work of the group your father was always after. 

Your time with Youngjae, however, made you happy. It has now been four months since you began your weekly tutoring sessions with him. He was funny and kind. His ambition to help kids warmed your heart, and made you eager to help him with his goal. It was a shame he wasn’t your soulmate. He would’ve been the perfect man.

It was after a long tutoring session with Youngjae that you had your first conversation with him, the man you wanted to avoid. You were packing your things when he slid into the chair across from you.

“You know, since we keep seeing each other, I figured you should know my name and I yours.” He said nonchalantly, leaning back in the chair. He threw his hands behind his head and stared at you. “I’m H.One.”

You glared at him, trying to calm your pounding heart. Seeing him was scary enough, but talking to him? That was the icing on the cake. Briefly you wondered if your soulmate knew how much danger you were in right now. Their arm must be throbbing in pain. Maybe it’d give them a taste of their own medicine. Your arm is always throbbing because of the danger her soulmate gets in. “Y/N” you stated curtly.

“Y/N,” he rolled your name on his tongue. “I like it. It fits you.”

“What do you want?” you asked, wanting to get to the point of this conversation.

“I don’t know. I figured we could try talking. Why do you tutor Youngjae?”

“Because he needs help. And he’s quite nice, the exact opposite of you. You let that guy break his nose. He didn’t deserve that.”

“Oh I think he did,” he raised his eyebrows at you, “you know he does drugs right? From weed to coke. The perfect addict. Why do you think he has trouble paying attention and getting things right? That boy is fucked up.”

You could feel your blood begin to boil at his words. “Who gave you the right to make such assumptions about someone?” You ground out. Youngjae is the last person you’d expect to be an addict.

H.One let out a mirthless laugh, “One day you’ll see I’m telling the truth.” he said as he stood. He didn’t spare you a second glance as he walked away.

You scoffed, unable to believe this man. You grabbed your bag and left the library, heading straight for your apartment.

From then on, H.One kept starting conversations with you. Sometimes they were civilized, but most of the time it only made you hate him more.

More often than not, you caught him being harsh to someone else. He was never alone when he picked on others. Sometimes he had upwards of six other people surrounding him. All of them gave off the vibe of “stay away.” You knew they’d pick on the smaller, weaker humans. It had to be an inferiority complex.

One time, you asked him about it. He waved you off, dismissing you entirely. When you pressed the topic, he got defensive. Seeing him like that petrified you. You knew he was dangerous, but you didn’t think he was that deplorable.

He had made himself an annoying constant in your life. It was weird to go a day without feeling like you wanted to murder him.If only you knew what his motives were; something in the back of your mind told you that he was plotting your murder.

There was something strange about him, something off. You first noticed it with his clothes. They were different from the rest. You refused to believe what it could mean, until it was staring you in the face.

The day you realized who he was to you was the worst day of your life. Everything had been going fine up until the point where he came to order his regular iced americano. He had his hair pushed back, exposing his forehead. He wasn’t wearing his leather jacket, instead wearing a baby blue tshirt. He had his face mask on, as usual.

You had been making another customers drink when you saw him. The second you laid eyes on him the world exploded in color, bombarding you with different shades of countless colors. You dropped the drink you were holding, feeling the splash of the hot liquid hit your legs, but you didn’t feel the burn.

Instead, you felt sick to your stomach. You felt like you were going to pass out. Yoongi looked at you from the register, confused by your sudden outburst. Autopilot kicked in then, and you dashed to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time to dispose of the contents in your stomach. You had been avoiding it before, but now you couldn’t. There was no doubt about it. H.One was your soulmate.


	3. Unfair Love

“Fuck this shit. Fuck it. I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. I quit.” you exclaimed, startling Sohyun, who was sitting beside you. She looked up at you, a questioning and concerned look in her gaze. “I’m going to fail. There’s no hope. I’m done for. I’m not going to get my masters degree. I’m never-”

“Dude,” Sohyun cut you off, “chill. Listen to yourself right now. You sound like you’re going to die.”

“I am” you reply bluntly. “I have to memorize these two textbooks and finish this twenty page essay by the end of the month. Not to mention everything I have to do with my other classes, and on top of that I still have to tutor Youngjae.”

“Why are you tutoring him? He’s not even majoring in psych. He can take care of himself,” Sohyun said, to which you shrugged.

“I suppose. I don’t know, it’s fun being around him. Honestly I think the heavens messed up my soulmate. He’d be the perfect mate.”

Your friend sighed. She’s heard you say this countless times, it was starting to bother her more than she’d care to admit. She understood that for whatever reason you didn’t want your soulmate to be yours, but you could only fight fate for so long. She figured it had something to do with your danger meter. It had to be that, because you’ve never mentioned anything about meeting your one and only. Sometimes, she’d hear you crying at night because your soulmate had put themself in extreme danger, and it was hurting you. 

“How about this? Sohyun began. “ This weekend, you, me, Youngjae, and Seokjin all go out to the club?”

You rolled your eyes. “Is Seokjin even into clubbing?” You asked.

She shrugged “We’ll find out. I mean, if we’re soulmates then surely he’d be able to enjoy a good club.”

You laughed, “Whatever.”

~~~

You’ve been on edge since you found out H.One was your soulmate a month ago. It’s been hard for you to concentrate on things and you’ve found yourself shaking a lot. You keep checking over your shoulder to make sure he’s not there. You could see color now. For the most part at least. The colors were dull. They weren’t exciting or vibrant like people said they’d be.

Sometimes when H.One was near, you could see the colors more clearly, but you tricked yourself into believing that it was just your brain thinking they were brighter. 

You were at work when you saw him again. Sohyun had made a mistake counting his change and he had gotten extremely pissed at her. He had yelled at her as she walked away, going to the back room to cry. He was gone before you were able to give him a piece of your mind. 

Sohyun had been embarrassed by the whole incident. The shop was filled with people lounging around sipping on their drinks. They all bore witness to what H.One did. The next time you see him, you’d make him regret what he had done to Sohyun.

The two of you had decided to go to the club that night instead of the next day. Both Seokjin and Youngjae were okay with the sudden change in plans. While Sohyun dressed in a black strapless dress that barely covered her butt, you chose to be less extravagant in your choice of clothes. You donned on a simple black tank top and black skirt that went to your knees. You paired the outfit with a small, dark blue jacket. The heels you wore made you an inch taller than you normally were. It was a nice change in perspective. Seokjin came to pick you and Sohyun up. Youngjae would be meeting you there. 

During the car ride, Sohyun spent her time ranting about how this frequent customer treated her. She mentioned that it was an outburst she hadn’t been expecting from him. After all, he had seemed pretty nice before. You scoffed at the idea of him being nice, but neither one of them paid attention to you.

By the time you had gotten to the club, you just wanted to drink and forget. Youngjae was waiting for you inside, awkwardly standing to the side of the dance floor. He whistled at you when he laid his eyes on you, his eyes lingering on your body. You didn’t appreciate the gesture, but you smiled nonetheless. He wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you uncomfortably close.   
He led you to the bar, ordering shots of vodka for the entire group. You took the time to study the bartender. He seemed familiar to you somehow. His hair was white with tips dyed blue. He wore a vest that exposed the muscle in his arms and showed much of his chest. His gaze lingered on you before he turned around to grab the bottle of vodka, pouring the shots for your party. 

Youngjae sat on a stool and had pulled you onto his lap. You were starting to regret bringing him here, but it was too late now. You grabbed the shot glass in front of you and downed it. The burn of the alcohol felt horrible, you usually weren’t one for alcohol. You weren’t at all used to the sensations that drinking brought; you figured now was as good a time as any other to grow accustomed to the burn. 

That is, until you spotted H.One staring at you from across the room. It was the first time you had seen him without his face mask on. It was strange, seeing him without it. It seemed unfair that someone so cruel, was so good looking. A rock settled in the pit of your stomach as your eyes met his.

Excusing yourself from the group, you quickly walked out of the club and into the dark night. It was stupid, you knew, but you went into the alley beside the building. You didn’t want to be out in the open streets, and you didn’t want to stray too far from where your friends were.

You were growing more paranoid the deeper you went in, regret starting to creep up your spine. H.One’s voice calling your name stopped you from turning around and heading back. You completely froze in that second, too scared to breathe or scan for a way to escape.

Then you remembered what he did to your friend and suddenly, courage from adrenaline kicked in. You whirled around to face him, slapping him the instant you saw him. His hand flew to his cheek, but before he could say anything, you went off on him. “How dare you hurt my friend! She miscounted by a cent, a cent! And yet you acted like she robbed you of a thousand dollars!” 

“Are you really upset about that?” He asked.

You slapped him again in response.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve been on edge lately.”

“That’s a bullshit excuse,” You spat.

Rage started to build in his eyes, causing you to backup a step.”I apologized, didn’t I? It’s not like I can tell you my whole fucking backstory!” he shouted, stepping closer to you. He towered over you, but you wouldn’t back down.

“You’re not supposed to apologize to me! I’m not the one you hurt! But then, I guess you never apologize to those you hurt, do you?” You challenged.

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “What? Do you expect me to apologize to everyone? Sorry sweetheart, can’t do that.”

He had you backed up against a wall, but you weren’t intimidated by him. “If you hurt my friend so help me, I will make you regret it.” You threatened.

“I’d like to see you try.” he challenged.

You stared up at him, trying to let your glare tell him you weren’t playing any games. The two of you stood there, neither one backing down for what felt like eternity. 

His hands swiftly came up to your face, cupping your cheeks. His eyes were searching yours, and you made sure he knew how much you despised him. “Fuck off.” You pushed him back, starting to walk away when you felt him grab your wrist. He pushed you back against the wall. 

“Please, listen to me.” He said, keeping his hold on you strong. You struggled against his grip, refusing to give him a chance to talk. 

“No.” You replied as you fought him.

“Please.” he whispered the word, sounding desperate, something you’d never expected from him. That made you pause in your struggle. He seemed to take this as a sign that you would listen. “Y/N..I-” he stopped, seeming to search for the words. “You drive me absolutely crazy, do you know that? Absolutely crazy.” he sighed, taking a deep breath, “I don’t know what to do with myself around you. Somehow you only ever see my bad side.” At that you scoffed.

“I promise you I’m not the kind of man you think I am. Not really. There is so much you don’t know about me. You think you know everything, but you don’t. You only know a fraction. Y/N...gosh...you make me wish I could be a better man. The moment you stepped in front of Youngjae and took Sunshine’s blow for him, I knew you were the one. It’s been months since then. Please...please just give me a chance. I can prove to you that I’m not such a shitty person.”

His words took you by surprise. Could you give him a chance? Not likely. He was your soulmate, but who said you had to acknowledge that? He was searching your face for any immediate rejection, and when he didn’t see any, he leaned down, bringing his face inches from yours. 

You were beginning to anticipate his next move, wondering what he was going to do. Then you remembered who he was. Trouble. You pushed him off, disgust written all over your face. “I will never give you a chance. You’re a despicable person H.One. I hate that I got you as my soulmate. The last thing I want to do is associate myself with someone like you. You have no idea how much I despise the fact that we are soulmates.” You sneered. 

He remained still and expressionless, unable to react after your harsh words. He helplessly watched as you walked away, out of the alley. 

Your steps were quick. Why did you have to get stuck with such a horrible person? What did you do to deserve such a cruel fate? You only made it about a block away before you collapsed in tears. Why was fate so cruel to you? 

You thought you heard glass break, but you couldn’t be bothered enough to come out of your misery. Footsteps soon followed the sound of breaking glass, coming closer and closer. You slowly started to realize that you were in danger, that you should get out of there, but you limbs didn’t want to cooperate. You could see a shadow now, coming closer and closer until someone rounded the corner.

H.One wasn’t sure how long he stood in that alley. It could’ve been minutes or hours. He hadn’t expected to hear such severe words from you. It utterly shattered his heart. He knew his lifestyle wasn’t suitable, but others around him were still able to bond with their soulmate. So why couldn’t he?. He didn’t know what to do. Should he cry? Or should he break something? He was pulled from his thoughts by an abrupt, menacing throb in his arm. His danger meter was dangerously high. That could only mean one thing; he needed to get to you, and fast. His legs moved at an impossible speed as he bolted out of the alley, hoping he’d be able to get to you in time. This was no neighborhood to be alone in at night.


	4. As I Told You

You held your breath as the figure approached, seeing the foot come out from behind the corner. You prayed that whoever it was would just ignore you and continue on their merry way. It was unlikely, you knew. A predator wouldn’t be able to resist someone as vulnerable as she was now. That is, until you realized it was Youngjae walking towards you. You breathed a sigh of relief, the tension leaving your body at the sight of your friend. 

He was staring right at you, though it seemed like he didn’t see you there. His eyes were glassy and his movements were clumsy as he stumbled towards you. He clutched a broken beer bottle in his hand, waving it about in a drunken stupor. His black hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat. 

“Y/N,” He slurred, “I want you to be mine.”

His words made your heart race, though not in the way you had imagined it would if he ever said those words to you. He came to you, grabbing you by the shoulders and pulling you off the ground. The sharp glass from the bottle cut through your thin sweater and into your skin, causing you to hiss in pain. You attempted to push him off, but he was too strong. Any fight you had in you was nonexistent as energy drained from your body. You were vaguely aware of the growing dampness in your arm and the smell of metal in the air.

“Y/N,” he said, “you are mine.”

“Youngjae,” you started, “you’re drunk. Why don’t we sit down?” You pointed to a bench across the street.

“No!” He shouted, shoving you back into the building. The air was knocked out of you as your body slammed into the building. You coughed, gasping for air. “I’m not drunk. You’re coming with me.” He seized your wrist and began dragging you in the direction he had come from. You dug your heels into the ground, pulling away from his grip.

“No, I won’t go anywhere with you.” You stated firmly.

The wild look in his eyes told you he wouldn’t take no for an answer, but you still had to try. You took a step back as he moved closer to you. “What did you just say?” His voice was dangerously calm, and for the first time, Youngjae scared you to death.

“I said I’m not going with you.” Your voice trembled as you spoke. You cringed and how pathetic you sounded.

He raised his hand, the beer bottle glinting in the street light. You knew what was coming next. As he brought his arm down, you flinched away, closing your eyes as you awaited inevitable pain. But it never came. Instead, you heard Youngjae cry out in agony. You opened your eyes to see H.One standing in front of you, twisting Youngjae’s wrist in an unnatural way. You heard the snap of bone, and you knew immediately that H.One had broken his wrist. The beer bottle fell to the floor, clanking and chipping as it met the cement. H.One kicked it off to the side, far from Youngjae’s reach..

“Next time you go around attacking someone, remember whose territory you’re in.” He growled, pushing Youngjae to the ground. He spun around and examined you, his eyes searching your body of injury. He clenched his fist at the growing circle of blood on your sweater. “You’re bleeding.” He mumbled, stepping closer. 

You tore your gaze from his face and looked at your left shoulder, “So I am.” You took a shaky breath.

“Come on, let’s get you taken care of.” He put his hand on the small of your back, guiding you down the street. You were too tired and shaken to refuse his help. You didn’t want to admit it, but for once you were grateful to H.One. 

“Is that why you’re always in danger?” You blurted out, “Because you hang around out here?”

“I suppose,” he conceded, “It’s dangerous to be out here by yourself.” 

You merely shrug, the motion igniting a fire in your shoulder. You grimaced, hoping H.One didn’t notice. He did, but he didn’t say anything, letting silence fall between you two. He led you back to the club, but you didn’t go through the front entrance like you had expected you would. Instead, he led you down the alley you were previously arguing in, taking you through a door you hadn’t seen before. “Where are you taking me?” You asked nervously.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to murder you.” You could practically hear the eyeroll in his voice. He opened another door to the right and led you inside.  
The room was small and brightly lit. The only piece of furniture in it was a desk and its accompanying chair. “Sit.” He instructed, leaving the room. You did as told, looking at the random papers that were laid out on the desk. 

Before you could get a good look at everything, your phone went off. You took it out of your purse, looking to see who texted you. It was Sohyun,saying she and Seokjin were leaving and to have fun with Youngjae. She thought you had disappeared with Youngjae. No doubt she’d ask you about it later. You’d have to think of some kind of story to tell her, especially since his wrist was broken and your shoulder was injured. You couldn’t tell her the truth. No one knew you had met your soulmate, not yet at least.

You thought about what H.One had said to Youngjae. What had he meant by ‘remember whose territory you’re in’? Was he working for someone in the area? Was he the reason why the area was so sketchy? 

Your thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and H.One stepped through, carrying a box of what you presumed was medical supplies. Your assumption was proven correct when he opened the box, showcasing various supplies to patch up wounds. “Let me see your shoulder.” he said, taking out cotton balls and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

You turned your body and attempted to take your sweater off without moving too much. H.One stood and walked behind you, helping you take the garment off. You mumbled a quick thank you, turning your shoulder to him, so he could clean your wound with ease. When he touched the cotton ball to your wound, you hissed in pain and shrunk back. “Sorry.” He mumbled. You nodded and let him start working on cleaning the wound again. 

“Well, you won’t need stitches.” He announced, studying the cut. “Honestly, you’re lucky you had your sweater on. Your shoulder would’ve been worse if you hadn’t had it on. It also helped to control the bleeding a little bit.”

You didn’t say anything, not sure you could trust your voice to be even. It was strange, letting the man you hated most take care of you after the man you once trusted the most attacked you. Maybe you were too harsh on him. You could say you strongly disliked the man, but you didn’t hate him. Well, you could try not to hate him. 

He bandaged up your shoulder, mumbling something about needing to get more bandages as he put away the supplies. “I’ll take you home, it’s not safe for you to be alone out there.” He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“How do you know I’m alone?” You challenged, raising an eyebrow.

“Because I saw your friend leave with who I assume is her soulmate, and I doubt you’ll go seek out Youngjae.” He replied.

You sighed in defeat, knowing he was right. “You really don’t need to take me home.” 

“Yes. I do. You don’t know the area like I do.” He argued. “Come on, let’s get going before it gets any later.” 

He helped you out of the chair then led you out of the room. He led you back the way you had come. The corridor was dark and empty, if it weren’t for the music from the club, you’d had thought the place deserted. The vibes you were getting made you want to run. 

Suddenly H.One stopped, causing you to bump into him. You looked around him to see a smaller man standing alert. His hair was gray, but not from age. It was the kind of gray you could only get from hair dye. His glasses hung by a string around his neck, resting on the middle of his chest. He wore black skinny jeans and a deep purple button up. He was the kind of man that would turn heads the moment he walked into the room.

“Ah, Ki,” you heard H.One say “I need you to look after everything for a couple hours. I have some business to take care of. And please, don’t let anyone do anything stupid. We’ve already had an attack tonight.”

“There was an attack? Why wasn’t anyone alerted?” Ki asked.

“Because it was Youngjae, not someone from the other side. And it wasn’t against anyone in our ranks.” H.One answered.

“Which Youngjae? The druggie or the one training to be a guard?”

“The druggie. He attacked Sweetheart here.” he pointed to you.

Ki seemed to notice you for the first time. “So this is her then?” He questioned.

“Yup.” H.One confirmed. 

Ki tore his gaze from you, looking back at H.One. “Not bad.” he said, giving approval.

“Get Bear to go see if Youngjae has moved. We left him on Yulgokro. I’ll fill you and the rest in on the situation later. I just need to tie up the loose ends.”

The conversation ended, and H.One was back to leading you out of the building. Once in the alley, you asked, “Who was that?”

“That was Ki, and that’s all you need to know.” His reply was curt; he made it clear that that was all the information you were going to get out of him.

Walking out of the alley, and going down the street a bit, you stopped at a black Kia Optima parked on the side of the road. It’s windows were tinted, which made it impossible to see inside. It sort of reminded you of the kind of car your father always said to avoid. H.One unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for you. You wordlessly climbed in. 

H.One shut the door and went to the drivers side, getting in and not wasting a second with turning the car on. Music began to blast through the speakers, startling you. In an instant, both you and H.One reached to turn the volume down. Your hands touched for a split second before you hurriedly pulled your hand back. H.One coughed as he turned the volume to a lower, more acceptable volume. 

Ten minutes passed before any words were exchanged between you two. H.One was the first to break the silence. “Why do you hate me so much?” He asked.

“Because you’re an ass.” Your reply was immediate and blunt. His glance told you he expected you to elaborate. “You pick on people who don’t deserve it, and you make things up about them. Take poor Youngjae for example. You let Sunshine or whoever beat the shit out of him. Then you go around telling everyone he’s a druggie when it’s obvious he’s not. You’re inconsiderate of other people. I’ve seen you corner someone smaller, scare them, beat them. You pick on the weak. Is it because you have an inferiority complex?”

H.One didn’t say anything, which prompted you to continue, “Youngjae told me why you had done that to him, by the way. It’s because he knew you had stolen something. I don’t remember what he said you had stolen, but it was something. You had your friend beat him as a warning.”

A laugh cut you off from continuing your accusations. “Is that what he told you? Seriously?” H.One asked incredulously, “You’d think he’d come up with a better story. That’s not what happened sweetheart. What happened is he robbed me. He keeps coming to me, or rather Sunshine, saying he’ll pay for the drugs next time. Then he’ll go to Honey, beg for money, use it on the drugs he gets from Sunshine. He’s in even more debt to me since Honey loaned him money. At first we gave him a chance, but he blew it when he tried stealing cocaine. That’s why we were there Y/N. He owes us. He tried stealing from us. He’s a bastard.”

You didn’t want to believe it. The Youngjae you knew was a good kid, he had so much potential. Then you’re mind started to wander to earlier that night. The way Youngjae acted...you were starting to believe what H.One was saying. 

You thought over everything H.One had told you, and everything you knew about Youngjae. Clearly one of them was lying. Somehow you had a feeling it was Youngjae. H.One was many, many things, but he didn’t seem like he would lie to you. Well, he did seem like a liar, but something told you he wouldn’t lie to you.

The rest of the car ride was filled with silence, the only sounds coming from the stereo and whenever he turned his signal light on. Before you knew it, you were outside your apartment. You quietly thanked H.One for helping you, not wanting to give anything more. You sluggishly walked through the door to your apartment, finding it hard to keep upright now that you were no longer on edge. The minute you reached your bed, you collapsed and passed out.


	5. Be Quiet

_Youngjae was unusually silent as you helped him with his studies. Maybe it was because he was tired, or maybe it was because he remembered what happened the night you all went to the club. It’s been a week since then. You’ve been trying to avoid him as much as possible, but you couldn’t avoid this day. Exams were drawing near, so it was impossible to cancel a tutoring session._

_It made you uncomfortable to be around him, like talking to a teacher about personal problems. Before that night, you had been under the impression that he was the perfect guy, the ‘should have been’ soulmate. Now, you weren’t so sure._

_“Would you be mine?” He suddenly asked._

_“What?” The abrupt question had caught you off guard._

_“You said we should talk when I was sober. I’m sober now. So will you be mine?” He explained._

_“I don’t know...I don’t think we’d make a very good match. And I have my own soulmate to think about. You do too. Haven’t you met yours yet?” Truth was, you were just using your soulmate as an excuse to turn him down._

_“I have,” he said “but I don’t want them as my soulmate. I’d rather you be mine.”_

_You offered him a small smile, “I’m honored, but I have my own soulmate. I can’t.”_

_“Why not?” He pressed. Rage flickered in his eyes as he began to raise his good hand. You flinched back, fearing his next move. He seemed to realize what he was doing and stopped, putting his hands in his lap._

_“Because we could never be anything,” you answered. “Why don’t you want your soulmate?”_

_“She’s been trying to change me, claims she’s trying to help. I don’t want her help,and I certainly don’t need her help.”_

“Y/N?” Your mom waved her hand in front of your face. “Earth to Y/N?”

“Sorry, what?” You blinked, looking at your mom. Your mind had drifted to last month, when you last saw Youngjae. You still wondered what would have happened to you if H.One hadn’t showed up that night.

“I said, how does it feel to have your masters degree?” she asked.

“Oh. Honestly, it doesn’t feel that much different,” you said, “it’s relieving to finally have it done.”

You were out with your family, celebrating your academic achievements. You had just gotten your masters degree and could now try going for a Ph.D.   
While you were getting your hood, your family whooped and hollered. It was embarrassing, to say the least. They insisted on taking you out to eat at a very expensive, fancy restaurant. You would’ve been fine with just ramen, but you let your family have their moment. 

“Jisoo, how’s your studies coming along?” Your mother asked, turning to face your younger sister.

“They’re fine. Kinda boring though. I might switch my major.” She said nonchalantly, scrolling through her phone.

“Oh? To what?” You questioned.

“I don’t know...computer science isn’t really working for me. Maybe astrology? Astrology sounds like it’d be fun to do.”

“Since when have you thought about astrology?” Your father asked. 

“Ever since my soulmate introduced me to the wonders of the stars.” She answered. 

“Speaking of soulmates...Y/N, have you really not met yours yet?” Your mom asked, to which you just shook your head. 

“Nope. Not sure I ever will. Even Jinho has met his, and that’s saying something. I mean, look at him, he’s quiet and too involved with his work. It’s amazing that he was the one that recommended this place.” You pointed to your brother, who was too busy looking over papers to pay attention to the conversation. You continued, “Even Jisoo has hers and she’s 21! Who knows, maybe I’m just severely colorblind.”

“Y/N, you just need to give it time,” your father said, “maybe they’re in another country, and you won’t find them until they visit this country. Or you theirs.” 

“I suppose…” you shrugged.

You loved your family dearly, and trusted them with your life, but you couldn’t tell them that you had met your soulmate. None of them would understand that you strongly disliked him. They all loved their respective soulmates, they’d expect the same of you. 

Your parents had met each other when they were teenagers and had immediately fallen for each other. They knew they’d be spending the rest of their lives with each other. Your sister met hers a year ago. She made sure everyone knew she found the person that shared the same mark on her wrist. Your brother met his when he was twenty-two. He was more quiet in his announcement than your sister was. But that was to be expected with their polar personalities. 

“How’re you and Youngjae getting along? I was surprised to not see him at the ceremony today. One would’ve thought he was your soulmate.” Your mom commented. That struck a chord in you, reminding you of what you’ve been trying to avoid. Your throat tightened up as you struggled to speak.

“Mom…” you shook your head, “he’s not my soulmate. He’s got his own.”

“You’d never be able to tell with the way he looks and acts around you.” Your mom replied. 

“Mom…” you hoped she could hear your silent plea to stop.

“He’s such a charming young man and-” a snort from your brother interrupted her.

“He is not charming mother.” He said.

She just waved him off. “Anyways, he’s such a charming young man. How do you know about his soulmate? Maybe he has more than one and one of them is you. Or maybe he likes you more than his own soulmate. Honey, you haven’t met your soulmate yet. This might be as good as you can get. You should take him out, get on a more personal level with him. You should-”

“Darling,” your father cut her off, “Y/N can handle herself. She doesn’t want to interfere with Youngjae and his soulmate, and besides, she’s got her own to find.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” She relented.

“You know, I once worked a homicide case relating to soulmates.” Your dad started. He was always telling stories of his cases, even if he had told them a million times before. “This girl wasn’t happy with who her soulmate was. There was someone else she wanted so she murdered that guy’s soulmate. When her soulmate found out he murdered the other guy, so she murdered her soulmate. She ended up leaving the country and committing suicide. It was a disaster. Had no idea who murdered who. We got a break in the case when someone found the girl’s body in Japan, with a note.” 

“Thanks dad, lovely story for dinner,” Your brother said sarcastically.

“Yes, I do believe so. Seems to fit the situation very well.” Either your dad was ignoring the sarcasm, or he didn’t pick up on it.

“Why is it that you seem to always tell murder stories right before we eat?” Jisoo asked, sipping on her cola.

“I don’t always tell these stories before dinner.” he replied indignantly.

“Yes, you do.” You countered.

“Anyways, Jinho, how did you learn about this place?” Your mom turned her attention to her son.

“Oh...My acquaintance is one of the owners.” He commented nonchalantly.

“Any chance of a discount?”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

“Mom, isn’t that rude?” You questioned.

“Only if you don’t have any connections. Every penny is worth saving.” She waved off your question. “Anyways hun, are you sure you don’t want to see if Youngjae would be willing to be more than friends?” 

“Mother, this is the last time I’ll say this, no. Youngjae and I will only ever be friends.” You were getting irritated with your mother’s persistence. “I don’t want to be murdered.”  
That led you to ponder what would happen to H.One if you were, in fact, murdered. You knew he cared about you to some extent. Maybe he’d seek revenge and murder whoever ended your life. You wouldn’t put it past him; he seemed to have that type of personality.

“Oh you won’t get murdered,” Your mother pressed, “I’m sure Youngjae’s soulmate wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh, I don’t know. You never know who a person truly is.” Jinho commented.

“Ain’t that the truth.” Your father added.

“But-”

“Mom, stop. Just stop. I’m sick and tired of hearing this. One more word about Youngjae and soulmates, I’ll walk out of here.” You snapped, finally on the edge of breaking point.

“Y/N, I just want the best for you…” She replied weakly. You felt guilty for yelling at your mom, but you couldn’t stand her anymore.

“I know. But my own soulmate is better for me than Youngjae is.” You sighed.

There was some truth in your statement. Youngjae was aggressive with you, H.One was a bastard, but at least he didn’t treat you like Youngjae did. The fact that he rescued you from Youngjae was proof enough. 

Your food came, halting what was left of the conversation. No one dared to speak a word and break the silent tension in the room. When the waiter came back with the check, the silence was broken by your mother asking if there was any kind of discount they could get for knowing the owner. The waiter merely shook his head, quickly leaving the room to let them finish their meal.

“Right, well, I’m off. Here’s some money to cover my meal. Thank you all for coming. I’m gonna head home now.” You placed a couple bills on the table and stood from your seat, rushing to the exit of the building, desperate for a breath of fresh air.


	6. Blind

The next time you saw H.One was a week after you got your masters degree. He stopped coming by your work, and you were too busy to notice his sudden absence. Now that you weren’t drowning in work, you couldn’t help but note his absence. You almost found yourself wanting to see him, since it had been an unusually long time since you saw him last. You weren’t expecting to see him leaning against a lamppost, just outside the cafe you worked at. 

The moment he laid eyes on you, he pushed himself off the lamppost and began walking towards you. Something seemed to pull you to him as you met him halfway. “You’ve been gone.” You said once you were close enough. 

“You’ve noticed. Didn’t think you would.” He replied.

“Well...I didn’t really. Not until like, a week ago.” You confessed.

“I see. Did you miss me?” He raised an eyebrow as he asked his question.

“Kinda hard to miss someone you don’t particularly want in your life.” You bit back. 

“Wow, no reason to hurt me that much.” He feigned mock hurt, to which you rolled your eyes.

“Why are you here?” You were tired of beating around the bush. All you wanted to do was get home, change into sweatpants, and curl up on the couch to binge watch your favorite drama.

“I wanted to see you, and talk to you.” He admitted.

“Well, you’re seeing me and you’re talking to me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home before I get even more pissed off.” You began to march away when he caught you by the wrist and turned you around to face him.

“Can we start over?” It was hard to hear his quiet plea through his face mask. 

“What?”

“Can we start over?” He repeated, this time louder, more confident.

“Why?”

“Because the way we were introduced to each other was hardly fair.”

“Maybe you think that way, but I don’t. I’m glad I got to see your true colors before anything happened.”

His grip on your wrist tightened marginally, his eyes pleading with you to listen. “Please...I promise what you’ve seen is only a fraction of who I am.”

“So you officially admit it then. You are a bastard.” You’d laugh at the situation if it weren’t for the look in his eyes. They begged you to listen to him, and they exposed a vulnerability you’ve never seen in him.

“Yes. I do things most wouldn’t approve of. I evade the law. But that’s not all I do.” He let go of your wrist, running his hand through his hair instead.

“Then prove it to me,” You demand, “if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to. After all, if you were able to save me, you can’t be all that bad.” You didn’t chance another look at him as you turned and left.

As it turned out, curling up on the couch with a tub of chocolate fudge ice cream and your show on TV was not as relaxing as you’d thought it’d be. Your drama only managed to remind of you of H.One.

Who did he think he was, coming to you and asking to start over? Even if you wanted to, you’d never be able to forget the things he’s done. How could you? They were burned into your mind. The way he ruthlessly broke Youngjae’s wrist-granted he was saving you,- how he stoically stood still while someone was beating Youngjae, the harsh words he used towards Sohyun, it was all there, in perfect clarity. You could hear his sharp voice, see his words cutting like a knife. There was no way he’d be able to prove he was anything more. Actions speak louder than words, and his actions screamed he was a danger. 

Then again, he wasn’t always bad, you supposed. Sometimes he seemed civil enough, when you held brief conversations with him. He also rescued you. How could you forget that? You didn’t think it was possible for him to defend someone like that.

You’ve thought about telling your father about him, about giving him to the law, but when it came down to it, you weren’t sure you could. Even if you did, you were sure he’d just find a way to avoid them. He mentioned evading the law earlier, so he was sure to have a way to hide from them, or get him on his side.

Seeing how he talked about Youngjae and drugs, you figured it was safe to assume he was involved in the drug business. He obviously dealt them, but did he do them too? Did he drug people to take advantage of their drunken state? Or was it strictly business? What other things was he involved in? He was connected to that club Sohyun had brought you to. Not only was he connected, he seemed to be the boss of the place, if Ki’s interaction with him was anything to go by. You often found yourself wondering how your friend knew about that place, since it was in such sketchy area.

Who was he? And why did he always cover his face with a face mask? What was the purpose? To hide? To appear ominous? To get people to stay away from him? Whatever it may be, it worked. Except for you. The mask didn’t make you want to stay away from him, and he didn’t appear all that creepy to you. Maybe it was because you were his soulmate, you weren’t too sure. 

An idea struck you then. If he had such a wretched reputation, surely there’d be something about him on the internet. You turned off your TV and went to your room, opening the laptop you had on your desk. You googled his name, expecting a bunch of articles condemning his acts to appear. However, nothing of the sort appeared. Instead, you saw articles praising him.  
You clicked on a link, the headline of the story reading ‘H.One donates five hundred thousand dollars to children’s hospital.’ The article explained that it was his second time donating to that specific children’s hospital. It went on to detail his other charitable works, like how he opened a soup kitchen.

Every article written about him applauded his good deeds. You couldn’t believe it. Was what you had seen of him really just a small side of his? No, it had to be a much larger part of him. You’ve rarely seen him act good. You thought about how he treated Sohyun, and then how he had saved you from Youngjae. That had been the one time you’ve seen his character be more than an ass.  
It was strange seeing so many beautiful articles written about H.One. He had admitted earlier he had many wrongdoings, and hid from the law. So why did he do such good deeds under his name? You knew H.One was an alias, but why would he continuously use the same alias?

Okay, so maybe you could give him that chance he was asking for. Who knows, maybe he just hasn’t reached his full potential yet. And maybe his actions were all behavioural and evolutionary. Granted, he could think what he’s doing is right, or maybe there’s a sociocultural aspect to him. He was an enigma, and every day he reminded you of the exact reason why you began to study psychology: so you could solve the mysteries behind the human brain.

You had to wonder, what made soulmates? Thinking about your unwanted bond with H.One led you to start developing your thesis for your Ph.D: the psychology behind soulmates. Very few people ventured into that area, simply because no one wanted to ruin what made soulmates special. Those who did look at it, never looked into why everyone was paired with their significant other. All the studies were about how a soulmate made you feel. You were going to change that. 

A couple days later Sohyun called you while she was taking her break at work. You were worried something was wrong because she never calls you while she’s at work. As it turned out, she was calling to tell you that H.One came by the cafe, and had apologized to her, telling her he would have done it sooner had he not had to go out of town for awhile. You thought back to the argument you had with him; it’s been more than a month since then. You were surprised he apologized, but it was late and had suspiciously come after you told him to prove he was more than a bastard. You had a hard time believing that he was sincere to your friend.

You felt bad for Sohyun, because he was using her as means to get to you. He may have been thinking that it’d be a start to proving he’s not the ruthless man he is, but it was the wrong thing to do. It only served to prove you right. You were a psychology major, these things couldn’t get past you. Your expertise in this area was going to be an obstacle for him, one that would be virtually impossible to overcome. It made you laugh, thinking how he’d only be showing his real self to you while he was trying to show a fabricated personality.

You ran into Youngjae for the first time in a month on your way to work. You tried to ignore him, but he wouldn’t let you go.

“Y/N,” his voice stopped you in your tracks, “I heard you got your masters degree. Congratulations. Though I must say I’m rather offended you didn’t tell me about the ceremony. I thought for sure I’d be there for you.”

You forced a smile to your face, “I’m sorry, but I really just wanted my family there.” Your excuse was a poor one, you knew, but it was the only one you had.

“Sohyun isn’t your family though.” He pointed out.

“No, but she may as well be. Seeing as we’ve been best friends for most of our life.” You answered, feeling yourself get defensive. “I didn’t have to invite you. Just because I’ve been tutoring you doesn’t mean I have to invite you to everything.”

“No? Then why did you invite me to the club? And our relationship is more than just a teacher student relationship Y/N” 

“Then what is it? Because that’s all I’ve ever seen us as.” You avoided his previous questions, knowing he wouldn’t believe your answers.

“Oh Y/N, don’t you know it? We’re supposed to be soulmates, we’re meant for each other. The heavens just fucked us over and put us with the wrong people.”

Sure, you weren’t particularly fond of the idea that H.One was your soulmate, but he was better than Youngjae at least. The thought of being with him made you nauseous, and you wanted to run far away. It was stupid of you to believe Youngjae would’ve made a flawless soulmate.

“Look, Youngjae, that’s not us. The heavens don’t make mistakes like that. Sure, mistakes are made, but not like that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve really got to get to work.” You dashed off, sprinting away in hopes you could get far away from him. You were glad to see that he wasn’t following you when you glanced behind you.


	7. The Clan

He had to prove it to you. He didn’t know why you worked so hard to ignore you were soulmates. Something made you perfect for each other, and that’s why you were paired. Sure, he wasn’t ideal, but that didn’t change the fact that the universe decided you needed each other. Despite everything, he had hope that he could do this. He could do this, all he needed was hope, and he had that. 

He wasn’t a bastard, like you thought he was, well, not to most people at least. He was harsh on those who deserved it, but he wouldn’t purposely hurt anyone innocent. That would be foul play. When someone in his ranks harm someone with no plausible purpose, they are immediately disposed of, never to be seen again. 

H.One wasn’t like his enemy, YG, who would bring distress to anyone who crossed his path. No, he was better than that. Of the two mafias dominating the country, he had the moral high ground. At least, he thought so. The law didn’t care so much about the difference between the two mafias. 

H.One was a master at media play. He had control of every major news source, including some from out of country. It amused him how eager these journalists were for money. He often used his influence to make YG look bad to the public. He always tried to clear his name, but he had such poor media connections it never worked. He did, however, have a large influence in politics. H.One didn’t care too much about politics, he more focused on the judicial side of things. In the end, he’d rather have a judge as an ally, or someone in his debt, than the president. The law was not his enemy. Though, the people in the NIS were a bit more tricky to persuade than those in local offices. Many of them were hellbent on cracking down on crime rings, and no amount of money or power could convince him. Though, because he put the director of the NIS in his seat, he did have leverage over the organization. 

Everyone he put in power had come to him through Honey. When Honey deemed it appropriate, he’d bring H.One people asking for money and power. Nine of the thirteen people in Korea’s Supreme Court were put there by H.One, that included the chief justice. 

Honey was essentially a loan shark. People would come to him, asking for various amounts of money; sometimes they were desperate, other times they were greedy. The greedy ones were always problematic. When they got what they wanted, they would begin to think they could evade Honey and the mafia. They’d begin keeping the money for themselves, hiding away in their private homes. H.One lost some power in the Supreme Court because of this. One of the justices decided he could get away with ignoring the ones who put him in his seat. Honey had gone with a couple of his goons to take care of the man. They taught him how quickly everything can crash and burn.

Honey often worked with Sunshine, since so many people would come to Honey for money to buy drugs from Sunshine. Youngjae was one of these people, always promising to pay back and only ever asking for more. 

Sunshine was the dealer of the group. He’s been known to entice people to try something just a little stronger, a little more expensive, a little more damaging than their last fix. In a different world, he’d have made an excellent business man. H.One was lucky to get to him before YG did.

The thing about Sunshine, though, was that he didn’t do any of the drugs he dealt. He was more interested in the money, and the power it gave him over the addicts. They were always so desperate for their next fix, willing to do anything. It was his sick satisfaction to see people in such a vulnerable state. 

Bear had a similar satisfaction. He was the man in charge of all weapons and protection, occasionally serving as H.One’s bodyguard and often working as the bouncer to Bunny’s central club. With Bear, he was one of the most lovable guys you’d ever meet, until you pissed him of. It was less risky to go to the police than it was to talk to Bear when he was irritated. This is what made him such a phenomenal bodyguard, he didn’t put up with anyone’s shit. 

That’s also what made him such a great bouncer for the clubs. Bunny watched over the two clubs under H.One, and whichever club Bunny decided to visit for the night, Bear would be there too. That is, unless he had other engagements to handle. 

Bunny was a carefree spirit. It made him perfect to run the clubs for H.One. He could often be found working as the bartender, serving all who came the perfect concoction. In reality, he didn’t need to have Bear with him, he was capable of taking care of any problems in the club. He was frequently referred to as “Buff Bunny” by his friends. 

I.M particularly loved to tease him with the nickname. Though in the end, Bunny intimidated him too much for him to continue. I.M was the youngest in the inner circle, being twenty-four years old. His specialty was hacking and everything technology. He liked to hack into government sites for fun, see what’s going on and inform H.One. Ki often yelled at him for going to the government sites, but was always ignored. I.M was clean, has never been caught, and didn’t alter anything if it was just for fun. 

Ki was the second highest ranking member of the mafia, just under H.One. When H.One was gone, Ki was in charge. He was the best spy in the organization, and arguably the best in the country. He was a key component when it came to infiltrating the enemy. 

In all, there were seven people, including himself, in H.One’s circle. There were over a hundred people working for them, and doing a large portion of the dirty work. Those hundred people rarely directly talked to H.One. They have to go through any of the six other men, and then one of them will talk to him about the problems. 

H.One is constantly dealing with a variety of problems, though right now, his biggest problem was you. How was he going to prove he wasn’t all that bad. Yes, he lead the mafia, and yes, he has a lot of blood on his hands, but he wasn’t as terrible as you made him out to be.

He had been too busy worrying about how he could get you to like him, that he forgot you weren’t working today. He realized you weren’t in the cafe the moment he walked in. When he was in the same room as you, the world seemed brighter, more beautiful. A weight would lift off his shoulders as a sense of belonging overtook him. That is, until you spewed hateful words to him. It crushed him, knowing his soulmate didn’t accept him. 

Shouts interrupted his thoughts, forcing him to come to his senses. A short, old man was yelling at the cashier. He recognized it as Sohyun behind the register. The old man was yelling obscenities, demanding to get a refund. “This tastes like shit!” He screamed, his voice going hoarse from his shouting. 

H.One immediately stepped up, putting a hand on the older man’s shoulder, “Excuse me, I’m sorry, but what is the problem here?” He asked, looking between Sohyun and the angered man.

“This bitch messed my drink up.” The man said.

“Oh? And you think yelling at her is going to make it any better?” H.One had a good six inches on this man. He may have looked like a stick compared to the other, but he had an intimidating aura. His eyes wordlessly threatened the man, and the hand he had on the elder’s shoulder was gradually tightening its grip. The death grip he had went unnoticed by everyone except the elder. 

“S-sh-she sh-should fix m-my drink…” He tried saying.

H.One shook his head. “No, you should fix your attitude. Now, I suggest you leave this place, and don’t come back.” He leaned down to the man’s ear, “Next time I catch you being rude to someone, you’ll regret it.” He murmured, letting go of the man’s shoulder.

The elder was visibly shaking, slowly stepping back a few steps before he twisted and ran away.

H.One turned to Sohyun, “You’re not hurt in anyway, are you?” He asked, fiddling with his face mask.

She shook her head, “No. No, just my pride is hurt,” She breathed, “thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t stopped him.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.” He replied, shrugging.

“So, you’re usual then?” Sohyun asked, seeming to regain her composure.

“That would be great, thank you.” He took out his wallet and paid the appropriate amount before stepping out of the way for the next customer. 

H.One got his americano and left, waving goodbye to Sohyun. He hoped he’d maybe run into you as he walked to his car, but you never came.


	8. From Zero

You had nothing special going on for the day. The only thing you had to do was work till four, and then you were on your own to do absolutely nothing. That was why you felt as though each second that passed was an hour long. Even with your hands busy making drinks, it felt like time was moving slowly around you.

The bell rang, signaling another customer had walked in. You remained in your bubble until you vaguely heard Sohyun say, “Hey H.One, you want your usual?”

“Yes, please.” He replied, taking out his wallet.

“So, I have a question,” your friend said.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“I didn’t get to ask at the time, but, why did you stop that angry customer? Management could’ve taken care of it.” Your friend shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she studied H.One.

“Well, it didn’t look like management was going to do something…” He said, scratching the back of his head. “I kinda just acted on instinct. I saw trouble, and went to stop it. I’m sorry if it was a step out of line.” He played with his face mask, adjusting it so it covered him more.

“Nah, don’t worry about it dude. I really appreciated your help. Yoongi messed up the bottles again, and I didn’t notice. That’s why the customer was so angry.” She explained.

“Ah, so it was Yoongi’s fault then?” He asked, eyebrows raised, though you could barely see them with the way his hair draped over his forehead.

“I suppose. Though it was both of our faults really.” She shrugged.

“Well, he certainly wasn’t any help with the way he just stood there, watching you get threatened.”

“Yeah, wasn’t too happy about that.”

As you were listening to their conversation, you were making his drink. Did he really stop an angry customer like their conversation suggested? And why didn’t she tell you about it? “Well, thank you for coming by. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.” Sohyun smiled at the man. 

“Thank you, you too.” He waved a bit as he walked to the end of the counter to retrieve his drink. “Y/n.” He called your name, trying to get your attention.

“Hmm?” You glanced at him, letting him know you were acknowledging him as you cleaned the mess from his drink.

“Are you free tonight?” He asked quietly.

“I don’t know, why?” You replied nonchalantly. 

“Because I was wondering if you’d be interested in going out to dinner?” His voice sounded small, timid.

“Oh. I don’t know, I think I might have something planned.” You tried to shoot him down. You didn’t think you could enjoy your night if you spent it with him. You watched as the hope in his eyes slowly faded. A rock settled in the pit in your stomach as you realized you were the reason why he suddenly deflated. Something inside ou shifted, and you felt remorseful. 

“Hey Y/n, you’re not doing anything tonight right?” Sohyun suddenly called.

You looked over your shoulder at your friend, glancing at H.One as you did so.

“Why…?” You asked slowly, cringing. You could feel H.One staring at the back of your head, making the guilt in your stomach sky rocket.

“I was wondering if you could clean up the kitchen for me? I sorta left it a bit of a mess, and I’m going out with Seokjin tonight.”

“We’ll see.” Was all you said, shrugging. Your friend gave you a pointed look, raising her eyebrows in the process. You turned back to face H.One, daring to look into his eyes. 

“Y/n, how am I supposed to prove myself to you if you won’t give me a chance?” He asked.

You bit your lip, looking anywhere but at him. He had a point, how was he going to redeem himself if you didn’t let him?

“What time?” You asked, finding the courage to look into his eyes again. You saw a spark of hope come to life in their deep brown. 

“Is five okay?” He asked, standing straighter.

“Yeah, five is okay. Where are we gonna meet?”

“I can pick you up at your place.” 

“Okay, do you remember the address or do you need me to write it down?”

“Could you write it down for me?” He asked, his eyes twinkling.

“Yeah, just a sec.” You grabbed a napkin and a permanent marker, writing down your address. You paused for a second, then wrote down your phone number too. You handed him the napkin. “I realized we’ve never exchanged numbers, so I also wrote mine down.”

“Thank you,” he accepted the napkin from you, folding it up and putting it in his pocket. “I’ll text you when I get to your place then. See you in a bit.” He waved goodbye as he turned around and walked out of the cafe.

Sohyun immediately came up to you after he left, “Dude, is he who I think he is?” She asked.

“Who do you think he is?” You wiped the counters down with a wet rag.

“Your soulmate.” She said immediately.

“Do you really think that?” You challenged.

“Well why else would he ask you out to dinner?” She pointed out.

“I don’t know, maybe he wants to talk about something important.”

“Oh come on, don’t deny it.”

Instead of pointing out that you hadn’t exclusively denied it, you changed the subject, “What was all that with the talk of him taking care of an angry customer? When did that happen? Why didn’t you tell me about it? Why was H.One there?” You pummeled your friend with questions.

“Oh it was yesterday,” she shrugged, “I didn’t realize how important H.One was to you, so I didn’t think it was important to say anything. I thought you hated him.”

“I do.” You confirmed, then hesitated, “well, sorta. It’s complicated.” You waved her off. “Come on, let’s get back to work before boss sees us slacking off.” You pushed your friend towards the cash register, just in time, as a new customer came in.

Work had gone by pretty quickly once H.One came and left. As it grew closer to five, you felt your anxiety rise exponentially. Did you make a mistake in agreeing to have dinner with H.One? Should you even be giving him this chance? You were making this an easy task for him. You remembered the look in his eyes before and after you denied him, the guilt coming back in full force. Just this once, you told yourself. Just this once you’d be easy on him. Besides, you wanted to ask him a few questions, and how you could see through his apology to Sohyun.

You had gotten home a bit later than you had expected to, so you only had about forty minutes to get ready. Maybe you should’ve told him it’d be better to do it at six. Damn. Well, can’t go back now.

You dressed in a black blouse and skinny jeans. A red flannel was tied snuggly around your waist; you’d likely put it on later as a way to keep warm. You paired the outfit with your worn out black converse. The color on them was beginning to fade, but as long as there weren’t any holes in them, you didn’t care much about how they looked. It was a simple, but clean (save for the converse) look, one you felt satisfied with. 

You didn’t try to spend time on your hair, as all you did with it was stick it in a ponytail. Nor did you see the need in fussing with makeup. The only thing you did with it was freshen it up a bit and called it good. Since you didn’t know where you would be going, you decided it was best to keep it casual.

You began to pace about your apartment, chewing the nail of your thumb. You were technically going on your first date with your soulmate. What were you supposed to do in these kinds of situations? You were sure anyone you asked would give horrible advice, seeing as everyone you knew fell in love right away. This date was only a test. That’s all it was. Nothing more, nothing less. You jumped at the sound of your phone going off, signaling you had gotten a text. You took your phone out of your pocket and looked at the unknown number. The text read “I’m here” which was all you needed to know this was H.One’s number. You took a deep breath and walked out of your apartment, taking the stairs down. 

You walked outside to see H.One leaning against a black Chevy Camaro. He was dressed in a black turtleneck, his leather jacket covering it. His jeans were black and his hair was styled to expose his forehead. He wore black boots which gave him an extra inch in height. The look, of course, was complete with his face mask.

He pushed off the car when he laid his eyes on you, going to open the passenger door for you. You thanked him as you got in the car, putting on the seatbelt as he let the door close. As soon as he got in on the driver’s side, you commented, “This isn’t the same car as last time.”

“No. A friend of mine needed to borrow my other car for a couple days.” He informed you. 

“Ah. I see.” You watched as he started the car up. “So where are we going?” 

“To a little Japanese restaurant I know of.” He answered. 

You were astonished when you saw him reach up and take his mask off, letting you see his face for what would be the second time. You gawked at him, your jaw going slack. This did not go unnoticed by him.

“What? Do you like what you see?” He teased, a smirk playing at his lips.

You were too caught off-guard to notice the words falling out of his mouth. You only noticed the way his plump lips moved, forming around the words. His nose was soft and round. You felt like you were seeing him for the first time. You’ve seen him without his mask before, but you were angry and vulnerable, and thus you didn’t pay attention to the details.

“Y/n? Y/n…?” H.One’s voice broke you out of your trance. 

“Sorry, what?” You blinked, tearing your gaze away from the beautiful man beside you. 

“I think I’ll take that as a yes then.” He said, more to himself.

“Take what as a yes?” You furrowed your brow in confusion, wondering where this had come from. Had you missed something?

“That you like what you see.” He answered simply.

You felt the heat creep up to your cheeks as you slumped in the seat, attempting, and failing, to hide. You heard him laugh, serving to further embarrass you. You hated to admit it, but he had a melodious laugh. Not to mention his adorable smile. There was no way you could deny he was good looking. 

It only took about fifteen minutes to reach the restaurant H.One had mentioned in the car. It was a small place, the ceiling hung low and the tables were close together. There was hardly anyone dining, allowing for a peaceful quiet as serene traditional music played softly over the speakers. The tables were made of mahogany, added to the aesthetic of the walls and bonsai trees. Cherry blossoms were painted on the off white walls, forming an intricate border.

H.One led you to a table at the same time someone came out from the kitchen. They perked up when they saw you two, immediately making their way towards you with menus tucked under their arm. “Good evening, I’m Dongrim and I’ll be serving you tonight.” He said, placing a menu in front of the both of you. “Could I interest you in any drinks?”

“I’ll just have a water, please.” You said, smiling at the guy as you opened your menu.

“Me too, please.” H.One said, following your example and opening the menu.

Dongrim nodded and turned around, walking back to the kitchen to get your drinks. Your eyes zeroed in on the udon section of the menu. You skimmed over the selection of the dish, and decided on the chicken udon. Having decided, you closed the menu, using this time to get a good look at H.One.

You noticed the way his eyebrows creased as he stared at the menu, the way his lips seemed to press together to form a line. You found that there was a mole in the middle of his bottom lip; briefly you wondered if there were any more moles on his body. His silver hair fell over his face, casting a shadow. It was hard to look away from him. 

H.One had to be hiding from something, since he nearly constantly wore a face mask. Surely someone as exquisite as him wouldn’t hide their face. Or maybe, you thought, it was because he was so dazzling that he wore the mask. If your reaction was anything to go by, too many people would be distracted by his good looks. How were you this stunning asshole’s soulmate?

He looked up then, closing his menu as he did so. “You’re staring at me.” He quirked an eyebrow.

“Sorry...I’m just not used to seeing you without your mask.” You explained.

“I see. And you can’t get over how amazing I look?”

You were saved from answering when the waiter came back with your drinks. “Have you been able to get a good look at the menu?” He asked.

You nodded, “Yeah, I think we’re ready to order.”

“Perfect, and what can I get for you?” The man asked, taking out a pen and pad of paper.

“I’ll have the chicken udon, please.” You answered. He nodded and turned to H.One, waiting for his order.

“I’ll do the sukiyaki, please.” He told the waiter, who nodded in response. The two of you both handed him your menus as he reached out to grab them. As he left, you and H.One looked at each other. 

“I looked you up on the internet a couple days ago,” You started, “the most recent article talked about you donating to a children’s hospital.” 

“Yeah, I do that from time to time.” He answered.

“Why?” It honestly confused you why someone like him would do something so generous.

“Because it’s like Andrew Carnegie said, if you have more money than the average man, give to the community. One day, you’re going to die, and you’ll have all this left over money, so give it away.” He declared.

You were taken back by his response. Maybe you really had gotten him all wrong. Perhaps you were just looking at him with a biased eye. Then again, he was ruthless when he was after someone. He never had emotion when you saw him yelling or fighting. Your thoughts seemed to battle each other as they tried to make sense of this enigma.

“Is that why you started that soup kitchen too?” You quizzed.

“Yes. And no. I want to help my community. But I also want to make a difference to the lives of those living in the conditions I used to live in.” He confessed.

This only served to baffle you more. If H.One was homeless, how did he become so prosperous? What did he do to be able to have enough money to give to the poor and underprivileged?

“Oh...you’ve never struck me as the kind of person who’d give back.” You told him.

“To be fair, the only impression I’ve made on you is a bad one.” He pointed out.

“Yes, this is true. Granted, my dislike of you has lessened since we first met.”

“Has it now? I’m surprised you said dislike instead of hate. I must be growing on you.”

“Yeah, well, don’t push it. You still have some ways to go.”

“Damn. And here I was thinking this suddenly became easier.”

“You wish.”

“I do.”

“You know you apologized to Sohyun a month late?” You suddenly brought up.

“Yeah, I would’ve done it sooner but I had an emergency to take care.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“What kind of emergency?” You pressed.

“One you needn’t concern yourself with.” He answered calmly.

“Is there anything specific you wanted to talk about?” You asked.

“Not really. I just wanted to take you out and show you around.” 

“Show me around?”

“Yeah, this is the part of town you can find me in most of the time.”

“Oh. I suppose that makes sense.”

“So Y/n, what’s your favorite food?”

“What, are we playing twenty questions now?”

“Sure, why not?”

“It’s ramen.”

“Just ramen?”

“Yeah, instant ramen is, as the name suggests, instant and perfect for a struggling college student.”

He laughed at your comment, “I see, I see.”

“Why do you always wear black?” You asked in return.

“Because it’s a nice color. And also, didn’t even know if it really was black until I saw you.” He answered. You blushed after hearing his answer, to which he grinned. 

“Quit grinning at my blush.” You admonished.

“Yes ma’am.” He tried to put on a serious face, doing his best to not smile. The look only made you burst out into laughter. “Hey! No laughing at my serious face.” 

“It’s payback.” You told him.

“For what?” He questioned.

“For always smiling and laughing at me.”

“Oh, I see now. You can laugh at me, but I can’t laugh at you?”

“Is that your question?”

“What?”

“Is that your question? For the twenty questions?”

“Oh. No. My question is: what is your least favorite ice cream flavor?”

“That’s a rather difficult question. Damn. I don’t know, I tried rocky road once, didn’t really like it. Which is strange because I love chocolate. I don’t like that sherbert ice cream either.”

“Really? You don’t like rocky road?”

“Yeah. I don’t know. It’s weird. Anyways, do you drink anything else besides an iced americano?”

“Yeah, I’ll drink hot chocolate and tea from time to time. It really just depends.”

Your game was cut short when the waiter brought out your food. The udon looked divine, and H.One’s sukiyaki looked delicious. Your mouth watered at the sight. You didn’t realize till now just how hungry you were. 

Silence fell between you two, both enjoying the food too much to speak. It was, for the most part, a comfortable silence. Perhaps, just maybe, you could get used to this.


	9. Tropical Night

The day was proving to be quite slow at work, not many customers came in. You blamed it on the weather. Whenever the weather was cloudy and depressing, business was always sluggish. The clouds looked as though they were getting ready for a downpour, and your most recent customer informed you that it had started to drizzle. You were grateful you only had ten minutes until your shift ended. That’d give you at least enough time to get off the bus. 

It’s not that you couldn’t afford a car, it’s that driving was stressful. Your parents always yelled at you when you made a mistake, big or small, and they forced you to drive when you weren’t ready to. The whole experience left a deep, traumatic scar. Since you no longer lived under their roof, you decided to forego driving, and just deal with the stress of taking the bus. At least on the bus the only thing you had to control was where you got off.

You were driven out of your thoughts when the bell above the door rang, signaling a customer had walked in. H.One came up to the register, ordering two hot chocolates. You raised an eyebrow at this. Typically he ordered coffee or sometimes even tea, so it took you a moment to process how to make his order. On top of that, he ordered two. He never bought for anyone else, just himself. Was he desperately craving hot chocolate or something?

You could hear the rain start to come down hard as it pattered against the roof and glass windows. You tried to ignore the sound, telling yourself that it’s just rain, and a little water never hurt anyone. You had finished one of the hot chocolates and was now in the middle of making the second one. 

In the distance, a crash of thunder sounded, causing you to drop the cup of hot milk. It tumbled to the ground, spilling everywhere. “Fuck” you muttered under your breath, reaching for a rag to clean the mess up.

Yoongi looked in your direction and stopped you, “Y/N, don’t worry about it. I’ll clean it up and finish the drink. You go get your things, so you can get home. Leaving five minutes early won’t kill you.” He gently took the rag from your hands, giving you a small grin. 

“Thank you so much. I promise I’ll return the favor later.” You said as you stood up. You walked into the backroom and took off your apron, placing it on the rack. You grabbed your purse from your locker, pulling out your phone and earbuds. You needed something to distract you from the imminent thunderstorm lurking outside. 

Taking a moment to listen to the calming sounds of the piano playing through your earbuds, you steadied your breathing. Gaining some confidence that you could make it home without freaking out, you held your head up high as you walked out of the back room.

H.One was standing near the doors, the two cups of hot chocolate in his hands. He gave you a small smile as you came closer to him. “Hi,” he said, “it’s been a little while since we last saw each other.”

“Yeah...it hasn’t been that long.” You replied, stopping just before the doors. The sight before you did not look promising. Maybe you could wait the storm out here, in the cafe. That didn’t seem too bad. H.One blocked your view of the outside by holding up one of the cups in his hand to your face.

“I thought that since, I don’t know, since it’s raining, maybe you’d want something to keep you warm.” He explained.

You turned to look at him, “It’s a nice gesture and all, but no thanks. It’s a hassle to have a drink on the bus.” You answered.

“Ah. I was also wondering if maybe I could drive you? Again, it’s raining out, and I want to make sure you’re safe.” As he spoke another clap of thunder sounded, making you jump and yelp. This, much to your dismay, did not go unnoticed by H.One. “I also don’t think you should be alone, if this is how you react to thunderstorms.”

You sighed, knowing he was right. Being alone during a storm was almost as bad as the storm itself. In response to his questions, you took the hot chocolate he had been offering to you. “Yeah, okay. You can drive me home.” You said quietly. 

The way his eyes lit up and crinkled in the corners when you accepted his offer told you he was smiling underneath his mask. “Here, hold this for a second.” He handed you his cup and took his leather jacket off. As he grabbed his cup back, he carefully placed the jacket over your head. “It’s not much, but it’ll at least help keep you dry. Come on, my car isn’t that far away.”

He took your hand in his, using his elbow to push the door open. He took off at a sprint towards the parking lot, dragging you along with him. His hand was large, soft, and a little dry. You mourned the loss of his warmth as he let go of your hands to take his keys out. He opened the passenger door for you, and you wasted no time in getting in. The door shut once you were in the vehicle. H.One ran to the other side, getting in and immediately starting the car up. He placed his drink in the cup holder, and a second later you did the same. 

His jacket slowly started to slide down your back, so you took it and pulled it into your lap. “Thank you…” you mumbled, “you really didn’t have to do that.”

“No, but I wanted to.” He replied. 

You gazed at him, taking in the way his shirt, now soaked, clung to his body. His hair was dripping, and was stuck to his forehead. You felt bad, if you hadn’t made it so obvious how scared you were, he wouldn’t be soaking wet. 

He glanced at you, feeling your eyes on him. “Really, it’s okay. I would’ve done this even if you weren’t afraid of storms.” He declared. Heat rose to your cheeks as you turned away and looked out the window. 

As he came to a stop outside your apartment building, you began to ask, “Would you-” you stopped suddenly, now second guessing yourself. “No..nevermind, it’s not important.” You hurriedly began to undo your seatbelt and get out of the car, but H.One stopped you.

“No, tell me. What do you want me to do?” He questioned. You bit your lip as you looked at him.

“Would you uh...would you stay with me for a little bit? Just until the storm passes? I don’t know it’s just...I really don’t think I can be alone right now.” You rambled.

“Sure. I don’t mind.” He put the car in park and grabbed both of your drinks. You were both relieved and stressed that he had agreed to come with you. On one hand, you weren’t going to be alone, and on the other, this was a man who could turn violent any second. Though perhaps, if you were going to be honest with yourself, you were willing to give him a second chance. That little date you had with him had changed some things, most noticeably your mindset. 

He was your soulmate after all, the perfect match for you. He wasn’t your other half, like others liked to say about their soulmates. Rather, he seemed to resonate with you. He always seemed to know how you were feeling, always knew how to respond to your words, spiteful or not. Somehow, he knew how much you’d been wanting udon when he took you out. He was always looking out for you, you noticed. So yes, you could give him this chance.

You led him up to your apartment, which was on the third floor. It was a small place, two bedrooms and one bath. You shared it with Sohyun, but lately it’s just been you. Sohyun was out of town for the week, which left you bored and alone on most days. Not to mention she almost always spent her time with her soulmate.

You didn’t have a whole lot of furniture, just a small, black, leather couch, a TV, and a desk for your room. The walls in the living space were filled with pictures of Sohyun and you as you had grown up. Some were framed, while others were tacked to the wall. The kitchen was small and connected to the living room. It consisted of a white refrigerator, a stove and oven, microwave, and sink. There was no carpet in your apartment, so you had a couple of rugs in places you figured they’d look nice in. 

“I uh...have a bunch of movies if you want to watch something…” You forced out, closing the door behind you. “And uh...since your clothes got wet I might have a sweater or something you can borrow...that way you don’t catch a cold or anything…and popcorn. We can have popcorn if we watch something...I’ll go get that sweater so you can see if you want to borrow it or not.” You quickly excused yourself to your room, adding a quick “make yourself at home.”

What were you thinking? Inviting him in like that? Yes, you supposed you were willing to give a chance, but was this moving too fast? On a whim you had invited him into your apartment. There was a flash of lightning soon followed by thunder, reminding you of why you had put yourself in this situation. 

You tried to calm your heartbeat as you grabbed that one oversized sweater you bought, for the simple reason it was too big for you. It was nothing special, just something you had gotten during a family trip to Seattle, Washington. The only decoration the gray sweater had was the word ‘SEATTLE.’ Along with the sweater, you grabbed two blankets. One for you and the other for H.One. You managed to calm a little before you walked back out to the living space. 

H.One was standing in the kitchen area, patiently waiting for you to come back out. You noticed your drinks and his face mask were on the counter, right by where you had placed his jacket. This was now the third time you’ve seen him without his mask. Truthfully, you’d never get tired of seeing him without that mask. He was breathtaking, an ethereal being. 

You set the blankets down on the couch, then held up the sweater for him to see. “This is it.” You said, trying to keep a steady voice. “I’m sorry, but I don’t really have any pants you could wear...you’ll have to deal with what you’ve got…” You bit your lip.

“The sweater is more than enough Y/N, thank you. Are you sure I can borrow it?” He asked, taking the sweater from your hands.

You nodded, “Yeah, it’s okay.”

He set the sweater down on the back of the couch and began to take his shirt off. You weren’t expecting him to be so shameless. You quickly turned your back to him, but not before catching a brief glance of his stomach and chest. For such a skinny man, he sure was fit. 

“Where can I put my shirt?” He asked once he was done changing into the sweater. 

“You can put it by your jacket.” You squeaked.

“So what movie did you have in mind?” He inquired, doing as you had told him.

“I don’t know. It might be childish, but I was thinking something Disney related, like The Incredibles. That’s a nice, not scary movie.” 

“Works for me. Though honestly, I’m not too familiar with the Disney franchise.” He admitted.

“Then we definitely need to watch it. You can sit on the couch. And take one of those blankets if you want. Did you want popcorn?” You asked as you put the DVD into the DVD player.

“I wouldn’t mind some.” He answered. You nodded in acknowledgement. As the previews began to play, you got up to microwave popcorn. You jumped to grab the popcorn bowl off the top of your refrigerator, filling it with the freshly popped popcorn. You grabbed your drink off the counter and went to join him on the couch.

It was awkward. The two of you sat on opposite ends of the couch with the popcorn in between you. It didn’t sound like the storm was stopping anytime soon, which did nothing to help your anxiety. As the movie began, a particularly loud clap of thunder sounded, eliciting a shriek from you. You tried to curl in on yourself as much as you could. H.One seemed to move closer to you as he put a hand on your shoulder. “It’s okay, it won’t hurt you. I won’t let it.” He said softly. You could only nod in response his words, not trusting your voice to be steady. You were trying your best to focus on the movie, but it was hard with the storm raging outside.

After a clap of thunder that was so deafening it shook the building, you found yourself curled into H.One’s side. His arm wrapped around you as he mumbled reassurances in your ear. You were grateful he was with you, keeping you grounded. To you, this was more heroic than that time he had saved you from Youngjae. Technically speaking, you had been in more danger than, but you were more terrified of thunderstorms than you were of being kidnapped or murdered, or whatever Youngjae was going to do to you.

Your fear of thunderstorms didn’t stem from anything in particular. Though, perhaps you could blame that one science project you did in fourth grade. It was for a science fair, and you were to research and test electricity. During that time you read about electrical storms, what happened when lightning struck ground, and survivor stories. For such a young mind, it was horrifying. 

You had been doing fairly decent with the storm, not freaking out as much as you normally would. That is, until the power went out. That’s when all hell broke loose. The lights went out as the TV went black, the only sounds being the rain pouring outside and the thunder crashes. A series of flashes temporarily lit the room, followed closely by thunder.

You faintly heard screaming, only to realize it was you. Tears fell down your cheeks, your body shaking uncontrollably. H.One immediately pulled you into his lap, wrapping his arms securely around you. His fingers gently stroked your hair. “Shh...Y/n. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’ve got you.” He whispered reassuringly. “Nothing is going to hurt you. I’ve got you.”

You could still see the flashes of lightning behind your closed eyes, so you hid your face in his chest. Every time you heard thunder crash, you began to cry harder. H.One was your lifeline. You clung to him as though the moment you let go you’d be lost to the storm. He was your rock. 

“Y/n, shh sweetheart, it’s okay. You’ll be okay.” His hushed words fell into your ears. “I’m here. I won’t let anything hurt you. You’re safe. You’re not alone. It’s okay.” His gentle, sweet voice began to calm you. 

The crashing thunder was relentless. It felt like it would never end, never give up it’s torturous song, and as long as it continued, you sobbed. Slowly, as H.One continued to murmur reassurances in your ear.

When he realized the words of comfort weren’t helping as much as much as he’d like, be began to faintly sing. “What about you? What about you? I like it. I like it. I like it, baby, what about you? Finally, I’m singing a song for you. Yeah, I’ll sing for you. So will you stay right there? This place without you is a seat full of thorns. I know I’m saying this, but what do you think about guys who act tough? If I were you, I’d like a guy like me. Even if things get hard and you leave, I’ll protect this spot right here. Oh I like you. But now, it’s not just a dream, to sing for you. You’re like the blue moon that reflects on the ocean. What about you? I like it. What about you? What about you? I like it. I like it. Without changing, will you walk with me? You my love, my baby. My love, my baby…”

H.One’s voice was melodic, you’d even go as far to say it was angelic. The words smoothly fell from his lips, blocking the sound of the thunder. Though he was singing in a gentle voice, it sounded louder than the rain, louder than the thunder. His voice lulled you into peace. You calmed down, sobs no longer wracking your body. 

Your eyelids began to feel heavy, and your mind seemed to cloud. Slowly, your eyelids drooped shut and your breathing evened as you fell into a deep sleep in H.One’s arms, his voice carrying over into your dreams.

H.One noticed right away when you had fallen asleep. Though that didn’t deter him from his singing. As one song ended, another began. He gently rocked your sleeping body, keeping you close to his chest. He didn’t stop his songs until the thunder had stopped, and he didn’t stop rocking you until the rain was nothing but a drizzle. He slowly stood from the couch, holding ou in his arms. He tried his best to not wake you from your slumber as he carried you to your room.

Carefully, he laid you on your bed, pulling your blankets over to keep you warm. He placed a soft kiss to your forehead before he left your room. He took care of the popcorn, tossing the remnants, cleaning the bowl and leaving it on the counter, unsure of what you wanted done with it. He made his way back to your room, sitting on the edge of your bed. He stayed there, making sure you were alright as you slept. The power came back on an hour after the storm passed, and that was when H.One decided to take his leave. He quietly left the room, turning off the lights and TV. 

His clothes were now completely dry, so he took the sweater off and put his own shirt and jacket on. He took your house key off your keyring, then slipped on his shoes and face mask. He stepped outside, locked the door, then slid the key through the crack underneath.

He knew he wasn’t a good guy. He was far from being considered decent. He tried to be, for you, he wanted to prove he could be good. It hurt him to hear you spew hateful words in his direction, even if they were true. Though it was always the look in your eyes that broke him. He always saw disgust, hatred, heartbreak. You deserved someone better than him, someone who wasn’t involved in the mafia, someone who wasn’t the head of it all.

Every time he laid eyes on you, his heart would start beating faster, and he’d lose any train of thought. He barely knew you and yet, you were his ultimate weakness. There had always been some kind of force pulling him towards you. Today, he knew you’d need him, which is why he went by your work. He had this gut feeling, telling him he needed to be with you. He was glad he followed his gut; he didn’t want to think of you sitting through the storm by yourself. 

He wondered if you had similar instincts, and if you’d ever act on them. He knew he was making progress, he could see it in your eyes, in your body language when he was around. The fact that you had asked him to stay with you was proof in itself. You were becoming more willing. Or maybe, it was all just wishful thinking. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him.


	10. X

“Oh my gosh, no Sohyun no. Just no. Absolutely not. No way.” You shook your head at your friend, who was giggling her head off as she held up a lingerie styled to resemble Catwoman.

“Oh come on, just imagine how sexy this would be in the bedroom.” She laughed, placing the item back on the rack she got it from.

“I am imagining it, and it is a far cry from being sexy.” You put your hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from the lingerie section. “Come on, let’s hurry up. The longer we take, the longer we’ll have to wait to get food.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I know. But it doesn’t hurt to have fun.” She rolled her eyes at you. 

“Of course not. Only, I’d prefer not to think about you wearing a Catwoman lingerie for Seokjin, thank you very much.”

Your comment caused her to burst out into a fit of giggles. She doubled over, clutching her stomach. “Is that-” she gasped, ‘is that what you were thinking about?” She choked out, still dying of laughter. “I thought you’d be thinking about H.One.” She clutched your arm, standing upright and trying to breathe.

“Okay, just because he’s my soulmate doesn’t mean I’d be thinking about him in the bedroom. That’s just you.” You chuckled.

At this point, you couldn’t deny H.One being your soulmate; Sohyun knew you too well for you to keep lying like that. When you finally, truly confirmed it for her, she shrieked and smacked you, asking why you hadn’t told her earlier. 

She decided that since you had finally found your soulmate, you needed a change in wardrobe. That’s what led you to where you were now, in a department store shopping for clothes that were way out of your league. According to Sohyun, you needed to stand out and cause heads to turn. If you didn’t, who knew what kinds of things people would do to you for claiming to be his soulmate. His beauty was incomparable, and you were barely average. At least, according to Sohyun.

Now that Sohyun had her breath back, she dragged you to the shirts across the aisle. “Would you look at this? It’s darling. You’re a medium, right? Try it on.” She handed you a white blouse, which was covered in red, pink, and yellow flowers of varying types. It had spaghetti straps with cold shoulder, ruffled sleeves. 

“Before I go find a dressing room, is there anything else we need to find?” You asked, knowing that you’d be stuck in the dressing room with ridiculous things if you didn’t accompany your friend in picking out outfits. 

“Honey, there’s always something else.” She said, grabbing your hand and pulling you all around the store. Sohyun pointed out a lot of cute dresses and blouses, but many of the ones she wanted you to try seemed more fit for someone in their fifties than someone in their twenties. 

Your arms were aching with outfits you approved of by the time you got to a dressing room. In total, you had fifteen things to try on. Before you began to try everything, you already decided that no matter what Sohyun said, you’d get what you wanted. 

You began with the first blouse Sohyun had pointed out. It fit your body well, and worked with the black skinny jeans you currently had on. You opened the door and stepped out, spinning around for Sohyun to see the shirt. 

“It looks good on you. It makes your shoulders look really nice. If you paired it with a necklace or something it’d look even better.” Sohyun nodded, giving her approval. “Okay, next outfit.”

You rolled your eyes as you walked back into the dressing room. As you were placing the garment on the hanger, you stared at the selection of dresses in front of you. You decided to go with a vintage dress next. It was light blue in color, and had a floral print similar to the blouse. Shedding yourself of your jeans, you slid the dress on over your head. It hugged your waist, fanning out passed your knees. You stepped out to show Sohyun the dress.

“Ooh, it’s cute. I don’t know about the square neckline though. But you could pair it with black heels and it’d look good. I don’t think I could pull that off like you.” She commented, glancing up and down your body as she studied the dress. 

“Dude, you could pull off anything. Don’t you dare say otherwise.” You pointed your finger at her accusingly as you went back into the small room. 

The next dress you tried on was black, with purple cats on the skirt. It fell to your knees and covered your arms. Sohyun didn’t like the dress so much, but you loved it. It was cute and it made you feel mystical. Not to mention it’d be the perfect dress for when Halloween comes around. 

The next dress was a black dress with red poppies. It, like the other dresses, fell to the knees. Your favorite thing about the dress was that it had pockets. Sohyun also approved of the dress, because how often does a dress come with pockets?

In the end, you decided on all fifteen dresses and shirts. Eleven of them had some sort of floral pattern, something that matched well with you, as Sohyun pointed out. You couldn’t deny that you loved the floral look. Flowers were the perfect aesthetic, the perfect creation. 

Since you were near that Japanese restaurant H.One took you to a week ago, you decided to take Sohyun there. Their udon had been especially delicious, and you wanted more. You knew Sohyun would appreciate the food, and you’d savor the warmth of the udon.

The walk to the quaint restaurant was tiresome. You were carrying five bags in each hand, Sohyun carrying the same amount. By the time you got there, your arms felt numb from the weight of the bags. The restaurant was fairly busy tonight, compared to the first time you visited the place. Laughter filled the room, bringing it to life. What was once a quiet, calming place was now energetic and lively. 

“Wow, this is honestly not what I was expecting.” Sohyun commented as she looked around. 

You led her to one of the few empty tables. There was a small group of men that dressed similarly to H.One just beside it. You paid no attention to them, focusing on how good it felt to set your bags down. 

“What were you expecting?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow at your friend. “Something more extravagant?”

“Yes, actually. I didn’t think it’d be this simple. It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but H.One doesn’t seem the type to take someone out to a simple place.” She remarked.

You shrugged, “I don’t know. It seemed like the perfect place to me.” You told her.

“See, that’s why you two are matched. He took you somewhere you’d like, even if you don’t know each other well.” 

A waiter coming up to your table kept you from replying to your friend. Two menus were placed on your table as the woman asked what you’d like to drink. You both settled for water, knowing it’s what you needed after such a long day of shopping.

You opened your menu, despite already knowing what you wanted. As you pretended to read the menu, you subconsciously began eavesdropping on the other table’s conversation, “Is that Red Rose?” 

“Bunny, keep it down.” One of them admonished. 

“Sorry. But that’s her isn’t it?”

“Yes, now quit talking about her before you raise suspicion.”

You chanced a glance at the group of three, automatically recognizing the hair style of two of them. You last saw them at the club Sohyun took you to. The one who seemed to be asking the questions was the bartender, the one with the white and blue hair. The one who looked annoyed was Ki, if you remembered correctly.

“I don’t know, I think it’s too late for that.” Someone you didn’t recognize spoke up. This one had brown hair and soft eyes. He stared at you curiously, before you quickly looked away. You knew they were involved with H.One, you should’ve known when you first saw them. If they were involved with him, perhaps they wouldn’t be a threat? Of course, that could just be wishful thinking. 

The waitress came back with two small glasses of water, placing them in front of you. “Are you ready to order, or do you need more time?” she asked.

“We’re ready,” Sohyun stated, “may I have the yakisoba?”

The waitress nodded as she wrote down the order, turning to you when she was ready. 

“I’ll do the chicken udon, please.” You handed her both menus, which she graciously took as she left. 

“So, do you feel satisfied with your clothes or do we need to go out and get more tomorrow?” Sohyun asked.

“I am satisfied with what we just got. Besides, my bank account will hate me if we do this again tomorrow.” You said, causing Sohyun to chuckle. 

“You sure? Because you can’t ever have too many clothes.”

“Yes, I am absolutely positive. Maybe if I ever become a rich doctor we can go on a shopping spree in Paris, my treat.”

“I’m holding that against you. You have to take me when you get that money. Do you think H.One is rich?”

“Is that all you care about?” You shook your head at your friend.

“No, but it’d be nice if he was.”

“How’s Seokjin doing?” You inquired, hoping to change the subject. You didn’t want H.One’s associates to overhear you talking about him.

“He’s got a cold, poor thing. He insists on me staying away, but I plan on going over to his place tomorrow to take care of him. He’s useless when he’s sick, so I don’t know why he insists on taking care of himself.” She let out an exasperated sigh.

“It’s probably just his pride. You know how big a man’s pride can be.”

“Yeah. That’s true. Also, I’ve been meaning to tell you, I’m sorry for not being there during that thunderstorm the other day.” She gave you an apologetic smile.

You felt a blush creep up your neck as you thought back to that day. “Actually,” you chewed on your lip, “I wasn’t alone...H.One stayed with me…” you squeaked.

“What?!” Sohyun practically shouted, “How come you didn’t tell me? This is vital information Y/n, you can’t just not tell me about this.”

You shrugged, “Well, I mean, it just kinda slipped my mind.”

“Dude, how does this slip your mind? H.One stayed with you during a thunderstorm, that’s huge. This is like the equivalent of someone big announcing a comeback. Start telling me about it, now.”

“Now?” You glanced around the restaurant, chewing the inside of your cheek. You rubbed your hands on your knees, trying to rid them of the sweat building up.

“Now.” Sohyun confirmed sternly.

“Okay...:” You took a deep breath, “he stopped by work like he normally does, except this time he ordered two hot chocolates, one of them being for me. He saw that I was skittish, so he offered to drive me home.” You paused, glancing at the table beside you before looking back at your friend. It seemed all four of them were listening intently. You groaned internally, regretting ever bringing it up. “Because I didn’t want to be alone, I invited him up to the apartment. That’s all there really is to it.” You lied. Unfortunately for you, Sohyun immediately caught the lie.

“Oh come on Y/n, I know you. You’re deathly afraid of storms. What happened? How did he react to your anxiety attacks? Give me all the details.” She pressed.

“Must I?”

“Yes.”

“Fine...it was okay until the power went out. We had been watching a movie, and it was fine. But you know what happens when the power goes out...I cried, he comforted me. I ended up falling asleep to him singing. Once more, that’s all there really is to it.” You decided she didn’t need to know about how he held you close, how he never let you go, how he was wearing your sweater because he got wet protecting you from the rain, how he took care of everything for you after you had fallen asleep. Those details seemed far too personal to share in such a public space, especially when it was obvious there were three others listening in on your conversation.

You wouldn’t tell Sohyun when you got home, or when she tried to ask again. The little details should be kept secret. It was the small things that made it special. You also didn’t want to admit that you actually liked when H.One had held you close. 

“Awww, he sang to you!” She gushed, squealing as she placed her hands on her cheeks. “I bet you he has a nice voice. He has one, doesn’t he? You can tell from the way he sounds when he talks, he’s got a good singing voice. Oh my gosh, that’s so sweet. Should we call up H.One every time there’s a thunderstorm? Don’t worry, I’d leave so it could be just you two. Oh my gosh, next thunderstorm I’ll tell him to come over.”

“Sohyun, calm down. Not so fast.” You tried to stop her, but she ignored you.

“I’ll have to get some waterproof makeup for you next time. This is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Who can calm you better than your one and only soulmate?”

“And you wonder why I didn’t tell you.” You muttered, rolling your eyes.

Your food came then, and the entire time you ate Sohyun rambled about having H.One over every time you needed help of any kind. You just let her talk, knowing she wouldn’t stop until she finished every train of thought she had. You sorta just zoned her out, staring at the wall in front of you. The buzzing of your phone pulled you out of your trance. You pulled the device from your back pocket, looking at the text you had gotten. It was from H.One. He wanted you to come outside when you were done eating. You wondered how he knew where you were, until you heard the laughter from the other table. Of course they told him you were at the restaurant.

It didn’t take you very long to finish because you had already eaten most of your food when you got the text. You interrupted Sohyun’s rambling, “Hey, I’ll be right back.” You told her.

“Where are you going?” She looked at your confused.

“I need to step out for a second is all.” You gave her a reassuring smile as you stood. You tried to seem casual as you walked out of the restaurant. You looked around for H.One, not sure where he wanted to meet you exactly. Suddenly you felt a warm hand gently grab your wrist. You jumped, but surprisingly, you didn’t scream. Perhaps it was because of the delicate hold that led you to conclude that it was H.One. 

“Took you long enough.” He joked.

“Well, you did say when I finished eating.” You replied. 

“Yes, I did,” He let go of your wrist, “sorry, I just wanted to see you, and I knew you were in the area.”

“Fair enough, I’d want to see me too.” You grinned, poking your tongue between your teeth.

He rolled his eyes at you, “How’ve you been these past couple days?” He asked.

“Oh you know, same ol’, same ol’. Nothing terribly exciting has happened.” You shrugged, 

“What about you? I’m surprised I haven’t seen you till now.” A lock of your hair fell into your face. Before you could move it, H.One reached up and tenderly pushed it behind your ear.

“I’ve just been dealing with some stuff.” He murmured, his hand lingering by your face. “Thank you for coming out here. Though if you’re out here any longer I’m sure Sohyun will get suspicious.”

“Yeah, but I can always come up with some excuse like there was a cat in the alley.” You told him, causing him to chuckle.

“Unfortunately, I do have to get going now.” he sighed, stroking his thumb along your cheek. He pulled you towards him in a split second, wrapping his arms tightly around your body. 

“Now, go tell Sohyun about that cat in the alley.” He murmured, holding you for just a moment longer before taking a step back.

You nodded, barely registering his words. You ached to be held again. It felt like you were being stabbed a thousand times as he let go of you. He put his hand on your shoulder, easing the pain slightly, nudging you towards the entrance of the restaurant. You glanced back at him, offering him a small smile before disappearing into the building in a daze.


	11. Oi

H.One watched as you walked back into the restaurant, relieved to know that he had three of his best men with you, and pained that he couldn’t be with you. There’s been a spike in suspicious activity in the area, so H.One decided to check it out. It was no doubt the work of YG; only he was daring enough to try to stir up trouble in H.One’s territory. 

He pulled out his phone, texting Bear to make sure you and your friend got home safely. He’d do it himself, but he had to track down one of YG’s men before he lost the trail. He tried to push back any unease he felt about leaving you; he’d know if you were in trouble, and as of right now, you were perfectly safe. 

He forced himself to turn and walk away, dialing I.M’s number. The phone rang once before someone picked up. “Turn left onto Sejong-daero” H.One heard I.M say over the receiver.

“Where is he now?” H.One asked, marching down the road as he hastily moved towards the target.

“He’s in an alley. It’s hard to tell, but I think he’s cornered someone.”

“Great. Is it one of ours or an innocent?”

“Probably an innocent. If it was one of ours there’d be fighting right now. Right, you’ve got about a block until you reach him now.”

H.One didn’t reply, instead opting to concentrate on resolving this problem.

“Shit! There’s more coming. I’ll get Honey and Sunshine as backup.” I.M exclaimed.

“Bunny and Ki aren’t far, get them instead. Bear is with them too, but he is to keep an eye on Red Rose.”

“Red Rose? What’s she doing in the area?” I.M asked, surprised and confused.

“Apparently, she was shopping and decided to eat out.”

“You’re not too happy about that, are you Boss?”

“No, I can’t say I am. But there’s nothing I can do without spilling secrets.”

H.One had broken out into a run by now, something urging him to hurry and take care of the pests. He hung up on I.M, trusting him to keep watch and take any necessary actions.

He slowed his pace and quieted his footsteps as he neared the target. He hoped this confrontation wouldn’t end in violence, but an inkling in the back of his mind told him it would.

“What are we going to do with her?” An unfamiliar voice spoke.

“Well what do you want to do with her?” Came a second voice.

“Can we do anything?” A third person spoke up.

“I don’t see why not.” The fourth voice was louder than the others. Clearly they weren’t expecting to be interrupted. 

“I’ll tell you what you can do with her, you can let her go.” H.One spoke up, stepping into the dark, dingy alley. 

“Who the hell are you?” The first voice spoke up.

“I should be asking you that.” H.One stuck his hands in his jacket pockets, kicking a rock to the side as he moved towards the group.

“We’re none of your business.” Said the third, taking a pocket knife out.

“Oh, I don't know. You’re in my territory, what you do here is my business.” H.One quirked an eyebrow as the four men stood their guard.

“Your territory? You mean to tell me you’re the leader of this place?” the first asked incredulously.

“I’m pretty sure that’s what ‘my territory’ implies.”

“I find it hard to believe you’re the one we were warned about.” The second scoffed.

It was clear to H.One that they thought he stood no chance against them. They were big and burly, the definition of scary motorcyclists. They were young, and covered in tattoos and leather. They didn’t seem to care about hiding their identity, which would make dealing with the aftermath much easier.

“Aw, you were warned about me? That almost makes me feel special. YG must love me.” H.One jeered.

Without warning, the smallest of the group lunged at H.One, knife in hand. He managed to dodge the blade, grabbing onto the man’s jacket collar and yanking him back. He kicked the man’s stomach, causing him to double over in pain and drop his weapon, which H.One bent down to pick up.

“Wow, did you really just go down that easily? I thought YG had this super elite training regimen for you all, but I guess it’s not. My men wouldn’t fall like that.” H.One tsked and shook his head.

The fourth man launched himself at H.One as the smaller one stood. Their movements were predictable, so easy to read that even a toddler could have dodged their attacks. H.One took the momentum to plunge the small knife into his attacker’s side. He cried out in pain, but before he could retaliate a pair of arms grabbed him and held him back. Bunny and Ki had finally showed up to help.

“Oh, see now he looks like he’s the so-called leader.” The first man spoke up, pointing to Bunny.

“Why? Because he’s got more muscle? Nah, that’s just judging a book by it’s cover, which, if I may say, is a stupid thing to do in our business.” Ki chided.

The second man pushed himself towards Ki, who blocked his attacks with ease. Ki resorted to fighting hand to hand with the man, clearly having the advantage. A sickening crunch filled the air as Ki threw a punch to his opponents face. Blood gushed from his nose, flowing down his face and staining the cement.

Bunny took to immobilizing the one he had a choke hold on. He was slowly suffocating the man, crushing his esophagus slowly. The injured man let out strangled coughs, grasping at Bunny’s arms in attempt to free himself. He was desperately trying to fill his lungs with air, but as the seconds ticked by, he lost the energy needed to fight back.

This left the last two for H.One to deal with. One was armed, was one weak. It seemed easy enough. He went after the weak one first, throwing a hard punch to his neck. The other man took this opportunity to swipe at H.One with his hunter’s knife. It cut through his leather jacket and left a deep wound in his arm. He whirled on his heel, giving his attention to his attacker.

H.One kneed the man in the groin, letting him fall to his knees before grabbing his head and kneeing him in the face. The blade fell to the ground with a loud clunk as it’s owner lost consciousness. All but one remained conscious. He cowered back in fear, making no attempt to fight back. H.One advanced towards him, bending down on his knees to match his height. “Why don’t you go run along and tell YG he needs to prepare some drugs and punishment for your friends, yeah?” He patted the man's cheeks, paying no mind to him flinch. 

The young boy scrambled to get up, running out of the alley without a single glance back. H.One stood and turned towards the frail woman in the corner of the alley. “It’s alright, you’re safe now.” His voice was quiet, reassuring, the complete opposite of what it had been just a moment before. “Though, I would appreciate if you didn’t report any of this to the police.”

The girl nodded slowly, clutching her bag to her chest. Her eyes darted from H.One, to Bunny and Ki, before finally settling on the limp bodies on the ground. She didn’t say a word as she dashed out of the alley.

“Man, I.M made it sound like there were ten of them, not four.” H.One announced, “I’m sorry you two got called out here. It really wasn’t necessary.”

“It’s fine, Red Rose is fine too. I know that’s what you’re really worried about. Bear’s watching her. Actually, she should be home by now.” Ki interjected, “Honestly, I don’t know why you bother so much with her. Like, I understand, but if it’s taking this much time and effort, is it really worth it?”

“You’ll understand when you find your soulmate Ki,” Bunny said, “everything is worth it when it comes to them. That’s why I’m always chasing Princess, because she’s worth it.” 

“Come on, let’s get back to base, I’m pretty sure I know why YG is doing this now.” H.One led his boys out of the alley, stepping over the three bodies on the ground.

~~~~

(11:06pm) “Hey, are you okay?”

(11:07pm) “Are you hurt?”

(11:07pm) “Please answer me”

H.One finally looked at his notifications. He had been too busy caring for his injury and updating everyone on the situation to care about why his phone was going off. He was astonished to see the messages from you; he didn’t think you’d worry too much about him.

(12:45am) “I’m okay. Don’t need to worry much about me” he replied. 

(12:46am) “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Your immediate response took him off guard. He thought you’d be asleep by now.

(12:47am) “Why aren’t you asleep?”

(12:47am) “You’re trying to change the subject” He laughed, amused at your perceptiveness.

(12:49am) “Can I call you…?” 

He answered your question by calling you himself. You were sparking his curiosity; it wasn’t everyday you showed him a caring side.

“H.One,” you whispered, breathing a sigh of relief, “you’re not hurt are you?”

“No, I’m okay. I told you, you don’t need to worry about me.” He spoke reverently, dazed by your voice.

“The danger meter thing on my arm told me otherwise.” You retorted, though there was no bite in your voice.

“I’m sorry. It didn’t hurt you too much, did it?”

“I’ve figured out how to deal with the pain by now…” You muttered.

“Why are you awake?” He cleared his throat, not sure what to do with this new bit of information. Had he really hurt you so much that you knew how to handle the throbbing pain of the meter?

“Because I couldn’t sleep. I think now I can though, now that I know you’re okay.”

“Oh? Were you really that worried about me?” He could picture you blushing on the other end of the line, getting all shy and cute as you thought about how to respond.

“I don’t know. It could also just be indigestion keeping me up.”

“Maybe, but I think you were just worried about me.”

“Oh shut up.”

“You can’t make me.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Quite positive.”

“Whatever.”

“How was your day?”

“Are you really interested or are you asking that just because you feel you have to?”

“I am sincere in my question, Darling.”

“Oh…” You were quiet on the other end. The longer the silence dragged on, the more worried H.One became. Did he say the wrong thing? Should he not have used the term of endearment?

“I suppose it was alright. I went out shopping with Sohyun today.” You finally said after what felt like forever -to H.One at least.

“Tell me about it.” he prompted, genuinely interested in what you had to say. He took every opportunity presented to get to know you better. 

“Well, Sohyun decided it was time for me to get new clothes, so she dragged me out and took me shopping. We were out for at least six hours because she also wanted to get things and she didn’t like what I wanted to get. So we finally find a store with nice things for both of us and she starts joking around because, while they had very cute clothes, they also had the most ridiculous fashions. Like, there was a Catwoman lingerie, a hat that looked like it belonged in a Dr. Seuss book, and so much more. Gosh it was horrible. I should never let myself bring Sohyun to that store again. Anyways, I managed to get a few Sohyun approved outfits. They’re really cute, I can’t wait to start wearing them. After that we ended up eating at that place you brought me to that one day. My wallet hates me now, especially since I’ve promised Sohyun that I’d take her shopping in Paris if I ever got rich.”

H.One was smiling the entire time you were talking. It was endearing to hear you talk so casually to him. He was slowly making progress with you, taking baby steps to build the relationship. 

“Really? Shopping in Paris?” He questioned, “Why not Milan? Milan is more known for fashion, Paris is more known for art and love.”

“That’s true, but Paris is named the fashion capital of the world, so it makes sense.” 

“Ah, I see. Yes, Paris does have quite some interesting fashion.”

“That’s why I want to go there someday. I’ve always pictured going there with-” You stopped short, sparking concern in H.One. “You know what? It’s late, and I need to get some sleep. I’m glad you’re safe. Goodnight.”

The call ended abruptly, fueling H.One’s concern. He looked at his arm briefly, making sure there wasn’t any remote sign of danger. He was relieved to know you were safe, but now he was left to wonder what made you stop. He wasn’t given the chance to say goodbye either, which saddened him.

You’ve always picture going there with what? Your family? Your friends? Your bank account full? Your soulmate? The final option seemed the most logical. Of course you’ve always wanted to go there with your soulmate, and now you knew you wouldn’t. Well, you thought you did. If things worked out well, H.One would take you, and even Sohyun, to every place you wanted to go. Money wasn’t a problem for him, and if you properly let him into your life, it wouldn’t be for you either.


	12. In Time

(1:34am) “Hey, are you awake?”

On the other end of the couch, your phone vibrated. You paid no attention to it as the two main leads in your drama were finally confessing to each other. It only took them the entire series to do it, which frustrated you to no end. Why did so many dramas love to drag out the relationship? It made no sense. It’s obvious they like each other, so why wait until the final episode to finally make it happen? Perhaps it’s because they’re showing what it would be like if the world didn’t have soulmates? Either way, it was annoying and pointless.

Now that the bland and overdue confession scene was over with, you turned your attention away from the TV and to your phone, reaching out to grab it. The message you received just a few minutes ago was from H.One. You weren’t surprised really, these late night texts having become a new normal for you.

(1:39am) “Yeah, why?” You responded.

(1:40am) “What are you doing?” He asked.

(1:41am) “Finishing up this dumbass drama about a rich CEO and his secretary”

(1:41am) “If you think it’s stupid then why are you watching it?”

(1:42am) “Because I was waiting for the two mains to get in a relationship”

(1:42am) “Did they?”

(1:43am) “Yes, but in the last five minutes of the final episode”

(1:43am) “Ouch”

(1:43am) “Yeah, it wasn’t worth staying up to finish it”

(1:45am) “Would staying up be worth it if I asked you to go on a walk?”

The question took you off guard. It was late, and you certainly hadn’t been expecting to see him anytime soon. The last time you saw him was two weeks ago. He had told you that he’s been busy, that his business was being threatened. Of this you had no doubt, as your danger meter had painfully gone up numerous times over the week.

That’s part of why you’ve been talking to him so much at night. You’d always stay up to make sure he’s alright when the meter fell back to zero. He’d always tell you he was fine, but you knew in your gut that on some nights, he had gotten hurt. Also, there’s no way he could be unscathed when the meter gets incredibly high.

(1:47am) “You wanna go for a walk at two in the morning?” You questioned.

(1:48am) “Is it too late?”

(1:48am) “If it’s too late we don’t have to”

(1:48am) “It can wait for another time” He replied.

(1:49am) “No. It’s not too late”

(1:49am) “Really?”

(1:50am) “Yeah”

(1:52am) “Meet me outside in ten”

You stared, unmoving at your phone for a solid minute. Nothing ran through your mind as it processed what had just happened. You snapped out of your reverie and stood up, going to your room to put on more appropriate clothes. You decided you could stay in your sweatpants, but you definitely needed to switch the tank top for a t-shirt and sweater.

As you changed, you pondered why you accepted his invitation. Something in your gut told you you should be out with him. Not to mention you needed to see him with an unbiased opinion. After all, psychologists have proven that if you look at something with bias, you’ll only see what you want to see, true or not. Since your first little date, you’ve been trying to see him as he was, with no opinion. Since then, you’ve noticed how he often runs his hands through his hair, how his eyes seem to sparkle when around you, how he treats most with respect. You had unwittingly proven yourself that you will only see what you expected to see.

You stuck your phone in your pocket, letting out a quiet sigh as you attempted to find a decent pair of shoes to wear. You ended up settling for your black tennis shoes, a nice contrast to your light grey sweatpants.

You stepped out of your room, grabbing your keys off the kitchen counter before stepping outside into the hallway. You slowly made your way to the elevator, wanting to take as much time as possible. The last thing you wanted to do was stand outside waiting, especially this late at night.

Thankfully, the moment you stepped outside, you spotted H.One leaning against a lamppost. He was in his usual attire: black skinny jeans, an unzipped leather jacket that exposed a white t-shirt underneath. His combat boots made him an inch taller than he already was. His silver hair was parted down the middle, falling to the sides to expose his forehead. What struck you the most was that he wasn’t wearing a face mask. You would’ve thought he’d be wearing it, especially since it was night and he was in your neighborhood.

Honestly, he was beautiful standing under the orange light, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched you walk towards him, uncrossing his arms and standing up a little straighter.

“Hi.” He said once he felt you were close enough.

“Hi,” You spoke quietly, afraid to disrupt the silence of the night, “what brings you out here so late?”

“I don’t know,” He admitted, “I just felt that I should see you.”

“That’s oddly romantic.” You pointed out.

“Do you think?” He raised his eyebrows, pushing himself off the lamppost.

“I’ve seen enough dramas to know what romance looks like.” This caused him to burst out laughing. He shook his head, his hair to swaying side to side.

“You really are something else.” He said as you began to walk.

The streets were empty, the only sound coming from the cicadas chirping. It was oddly peaceful. Maybe it was because H.One was with you that you didn’t feel like your every move was being watched. Everything felt off, but in a good way, like you were in some kind of bubble outside of time.

“Summer is coming to an end,” H.One’s quiet words seemed to echo in the silence, “are you planning to get your doctorate degree?”

“Yeah, I am. In fact, I’m going to start an internship at a psychiatric clinic in just a few weeks.” You played with the hem of your sweater, looking down at your feet. “Don’t tell anyone, but I may end up quitting my job at the cafe.”

“Oh? And why’s that?” He seemed genuinely curious, and not at all judgemental. You would’ve thought his first reaction would be to try to convince you out of quitting, like you knew everyone else would.

“Because, if I’m going to be a psychologist, I can’t be working at a cafe all the time. It’s just a job to help pay off the bills. This internship I’ll be starting is paid by the hour, and I’m sure I won’t have any room in my schedule to keep my job at the cafe.” You explained.

“Ah, I see. In order to grow, you must move on from the things that won’t help you in the long run.” You looked up at him then, wondering where the sudden philosophical words came from. To your dismay, he glanced at you then.

“You’re staring at me.” He pointed out, a smirk falling on his lips.

“So what if I am?” You challenged, “Is there something wrong with that?”

“Not at all, my Dear. I can’t help it if you acknowledge my amazing visuals.” He said, an air of confidence surrounding him as his ego soared.

You smacked his arm, rolling your eyes as you did so. “You’re so full of yourself.” You teased.

He laughed, throwing his head back and putting a hand on his chest. “I can’t help but face the facts, Y/n.” He replied, bringing his gaze back to you. He nudged you with his elbow, “I mean c’mon, can you really deny my beauty?”

“No, I suppose not.” You said thoughtfully. His content smile told you that you had said the right thing. His ego was satisfied, at least for now.

No one said anything after that, letting a comfortable silence fall once again. At some point, you began brushing H.One’s hand with your own as you walked. You noticed that every time you accidentally touched, a sort of pleasurable buzz ran through you, and you found yourself wanting it to happen more and more. With each second of contact came an addictive buzz.

You weren’t sure if it was you who reached out for H.One’s hand, or if it was him that reached for yours. Either way, you didn’t care, because now you were holding his hand. Holding his hand felt different from the last time you held it. For one, there was a spark, something buzzing between you. On top of that, you felt like holding his hand was what the universe wanted you to do. Your small hand in his large one were two pieces of a puzzle coming together.

“You know,” His voice broke your train of thought, “you don’t have to keep calling me H.One.”

“Then what should I call you? Because H.One is the only name you’ve given me.” You reminded him, not unkindly.

“Hyungwon.” He said simply, “Chae Hyungwon. That’s my real name.” He elaborated.

“Chae Hyungwon…” You tested his name out on your tongue, feeling the way it seemed to dance out of your mouth.

“Though, I’d prefer it if you only called me by name when we’re alone.” He admitted, “I don’t want anyone who shouldn’t know to know.”

“Would it be bad if someone knew your name?” You asked, wondering why he felt it a need to make his name a forbidden secret.

“Very.” Was all he said.

You decided not to push for answers. It was something that could be talked about another time. For now, the serenity of the moment was too perfect to ruin.

“You know, you’re a lot more than I’ve given you credit for.” You mumbled. Hyungwon stopped walking and looked down at you, disbelief filling his eyes. “I- I mean, well, I mean you’re more...what’s the word? You’re more gentle than I thought you could be…” You stammered, stumbling over your words. He didn’t move, save for the slight parting of his lips.

You stared back at him, studying the way his emotions seemed to flicker in his eyes. You could feel the blush creeping up your neck and cheeks. Maybe you shouldn’t have brought this up. He seemed to have turned to stone. You turned on your heel, attempting to tug Hyungwon with you, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he pulled you towards him and suddenly his lips were on yours.

Warmth spread through your body as you registered what was happening. Hyungwon’s soft lips hesitantly moved against your chapped ones, giving you the ability to pull away if you wanted to. But you didn’t. Your eyes slid close as your hand fell out of his. This seemed to make him think you didn’t want this, so he started to pull back. Your arms were quick to wrap around his neck and bring him back to you.

He seemed to fill with confidence after your actions. His arms snaked around your waist, pulling you closer. His kiss was no longer hesitant, but still soft. Your lips moved in sync, as colors you’ve never seen before burst behind your eyelids. It was like you were stepping out of the dark and into the light, clearly seeing for the first time.

Have you been depriving yourself of this the entire time? If you had known this is what it was like to connect with your soulmate, you’d have never waited so long. You could feel as your fate entwined with his, connecting you to him until the end of time.

Carefully, Hyungwon pulled away from your lips, resting his head against your forehead. You could feel his soft hair brush against your cheeks as a slight breeze blew by. Your eyes fluttered open, immediately finding his brown ones staring into them. The look in his eyes left you feeling breathless, and you found yourself briefly wondering if this was why you were compelled to walk with him.

You stayed in each others arms for what felt like eternity, neither one of you daring to break the silence until finally, Hyungwon whispered, “It’s getting late. Let’s get you home.”

You could only nod, not trusting your ability to form a proper sentence. He took your hand in his, clasping your fingers together as he pulled you back the way you had come. You didn’t pay attention to where you were going, focusing all your senses on Hyungwon.

You were taken back by how soon you had gotten to your apartment. Surely you had been walking for more than just a few minutes, it was impossible for you to be back so soon. Yet here you were, standing outside the double doors that led inside the building.

“I’ll see you later.” Hyungwon spoke quietly, brushing the back of his hand against your cheek. “Get some sleep.”

“I’ll text you tomorrow…” You hesitated as you stared up at him, unwilling to move. It was so tempting to give him one more kiss, but you resisted. Forcing yourself to look away, you walked into the building, looking back out the doors a final time to see Hyungwon watching you. You almost ran back out, had it not been for the ding of the elevator arriving. You stepped inside without looking back. You couldn’t, or else you wouldn’t have been able to leave.


	13. One More Step

Hyungwon was going insane. It’s been two weeks since he had kissed you, and he hasn’t physically seen you since. Sure, there have phone calls, and FaceTime’s, and texts, but if he was honest with himself, it wasn’t enough. He was sure it wasn’t enough for you either. Except, he couldn’t go see you whenever he wanted. YG has been sending his men by the dozens, and it’s been causing Hyungwon more trouble than necessary.

Everyone was on high alert. Civilians in the area seemed to know it was dangerous for them to be out, especially after sunset, so the businesses have been losing money. Sometimes someone would spot a cop car roaming the area, which was more annoying than helpful. The law couldn’t do much. Besides, they were too easily swayed by money.

Every night, every single man under Hyungwon was out patrolling, including himself. They needed to get to the root of the problem. Ten men were currently being held captive, but none of them spoke when questioned. If his hair wasn’t already dyed silver, he was sure he’d be seeing some gray hairs from the stress.

The most logical reason YG was doing this was so he could out Hyungwon. It made sense, make the media focus on your enemy so the government and people could take action. Except, there was a fatal flaw in YG’s plan. Hyungwon had control of both the media and the judicial system. All of this effort was in vain.

But that didn’t make the situation any better. It was irritating and needed to be dealt with. They were like pests that invaded your home in the summer. Some of them died, some of them managed to escape. Hyungwon has only lost two people so far, whereas YG’s death count was well into the double digits. He didn’t know what it would take to get YG off his back. It’s been a few years since their last major conflict, so what happened?

He wanted to keep you out of this mess as much as he possibly could. You were innocent, and he didn’t want to make you a victim. Already you were in danger. You were involved with him, and that meant anyone could be out to get you. He wouldn’t tell you about his involvement in the mafia unless necessary. He was scared you’d close yourself off and leave if you knew the extent of his crimes. 

Still, he needed to see you, to talk to you. There was so much he wanted to talk about with you. He desperately wanted to ask if you had meant the kiss, if you were feeling the same way he was. No one seemed to want to go near him because they knew he was frustrated and stressed out. 

Finally, he had enough of this. Two weeks was far too long to not see your beautiful face in person. He left Ki in charge for the night; it wasn’t a bad night anyways. Ki could handle taking care of the few men that were causing trouble for the night.

Hyungwon went to his garage and chose to take his camaro to your place. It was midnight, so he hoped you would be awake by the time he got there. Though knowing you, you’d be up watching a drama, especially since it was Friday night and it was your last weekend before you start your internship. If anything, his biggest concern was whether or not Sohyun was home.

It didn’t take him long to get to your apartment. It was night, no one was out, and he was desperate to see you, so he sped the entire way there, running all the red lights and stops signs. Breaking the law was something he did daily, so why was this any different? 

He jumped out of the car, barely remembering to lock it as he sprinted to the elevators. He couldn’t sit still as he impatiently waited for the elevator to reach the third floor. It felt like eternity until the doors opened, letting him step out onto the floor. He tried to pace himself as he shuffled toward your door. 

He knocked on the door three times, bouncing on his heels as he waited. When you didn’t answer, he knocked again, this time more urgently. He was about to knock again when you answered the door, saying “It better be important for you to be interrupting my show.”

He chuckled, amused by your apparent annoyance. “I don’t know, it could be important, it could not be. Really, it’s up for you to decide how important it is.” He said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“Hyungwon,” you breathed, staring up at him, “I really wasn’t expecting it to be you, I’m sorry.” You stepped away from the door, opening it a little wider as an invitation to let him in. As soon as he was inside, you shut the door and went back to the couch.

He took his shoes off and went to join you on the couch. He ached to touch you, but he wasn’t sure you’d want him to touch you. “So, what are you watching now?” He asked, looking in your direction.

“It’s this period drama about two soulmates who keep being torn apart. The guy is a prince and the girl is one of the daughters of the officials. The prince’s brother wants the girl despite his own soulmate and really it’s just a giant mess.” You explained, crossing your legs.

“Wow. How do you follow all of that?” His gaze lingered on you as he took in your appearance. Your hair was thrown up in a messy bun, and you had on a tank top and basketball shorts. In short, you were beautiful.

“Because I’m so good at watching dramas. Also you gotta watch every detail if you wanna know the psychology behind it.”

“Ah I see.” He leaned back against the couch. His leg bounced up and down in an effort to keep himself distracted. His hands were twitching, waiting to grab onto yours.

“So, what brings you over this late?” You asked, turning your body to face him.

“I wanted to talk to you. It didn’t seem right to do it over the phone either. So I came.” He shrugged, hoping his poker face was believable. 

“What is it you wanted to talk about?” You cocked your head to the side, your lips pressed together as your brows furrowed. He found himself unable to look away.

“Us.” He muttered. He watched your reaction, watched as you seemed to shift uncomfortably. It made his heart sink, and he realized that you probably weren’t feeling the same way he was, that that night two weeks ago was a fluke. 

“What about ‘us’?’ You asked cautiously. 

“I need to know if we can be anything more than what we are now. Because right now, Y/n, I’m going insane. I need to know if you still see me as that untrustworthy guy who breaks the law twenty-four seven.” He stared into your eyes, watching you every move.

“Hyungwon, I-” You stopped, not sure what to tell him.

When you didn’t continue, he spoke again. “Y/n, gosh. I told you awhile ago that I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m around you. I’ve tried to show you that I really am more than violence. I’ve told you that you make me wish I was better. And I do. I really fucking do, but I have a responsibility to everyone I care about, including you, so I’m stuck as I am. Because I’d do anything to protect, and in order to do that, I can’t abandon my business. But I promise that I’ll try to be more acceptable, more responsible.

“Y/n, I don’t know about you, but I hate to be away from you. It feels wrong. Everytime we walk away from each other, it hurts. It feels like the stars and heavens are aligned when we’re together. And heaven forbid when you smile and laugh. I don’t know if I’ve told you, but my heart stops when I see you happy. You just look so damn beautiful. You’re beautiful every day at any given time.

“The more I get to know you, the more I fall in love with you. Hell, if soulmates weren’t a thing, I’d be falling for you. Even all your imperfections and flaws are something I cherish. I really don’t know how you did it, but you’ve taken my heart. And I’ll be honest, I’m struggling to keep myself from pulling you close. The last two weeks have been hell. Ever since that kiss, I’ve been dying to see you again, to hold your hand again, to kiss you again.

“Y’know, when you said you hated me, and you despised the very idea of us being soulmates, it broke me. Am I really that bad of a person? I’m bad, I get it, but I never thought that my soulmate would see me as some deplorable person. Please, even if you don’t mean it, tell me you love me. Then I’ll leave you alone, and I promise you won’t have to see or hear from me ever again.”

He held his breath as he waited for your response, terrified of what you may say to him. He wasn’t used to being vulnerable, especially in front of someone else. But he trusted you wouldn’t take advantage of him like that. You were too kind and too pure. You could hurt him, but you couldn’t use his weaknesses against him.

“Hyungwon,” Your voice was barely above a whisper, “Who said I wouldn’t mean it?” You scooted closer to him and grabbed his hand, lacing his fingers with yours. You played with his fingers, and he found that he quite enjoyed your actions.

“Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet, you dork. I don’t want you to leave. If these last couple weeks are anything to go by, not seeing you again would kill me. I think, if anything, I was more in the wrong than you were, because I was so judgemental and wouldn’t see anything that I didn’t want to see.

“I’m sorry I did that to you. Yes, you are an asshole, and yes, you could be so much better, but I can’t change that. The universe decided that we’re a perfect match, and I’m starting to see why. You and I, it just makes sense, and it feels right. Walking away from you the other night felt wrong, and I had to stop myself from running back to you. If I didn’t force myself to go home, I’d have never been able to leave you.So, Hyungwon, when I say I love you, I mean it. Because I do love you.”

His heart was rapidly beating in his chest and he stared into your eyes. Words couldn’t do the moment any justice. He was quick to notice the blush slowly filling your cheeks, and the way your eyes darted around when you couldn’t look at him any longer.

He slowly took his hand away from yours, cupping your cheek instead. He found himself losing his thoughts as he studied your face; the only clear thing in his mind was this need to be close to you. His gaze drifted to your parted lips, reminding him of how they felt against his own all that time ago.

You moved an inch closer, which was all he needed to dip his head down and kiss you. His hand fell from your cheek, landing on your waist. He slid his other arm around your middle, pulling you closer against his body. Your arms looped around his neck as you returned the kiss. 

This kiss was everything the last one was, and more. Hyungwon relished in the feel of you in his arms, the sensation of your lips on his. He could feel everything around them solidify and adjust to their fate. In this moment, the world revolved around them. In this moment, time was stopped. Nothing else mattered, only you and him, together. 

The kiss was delicate, languid and passionate. Words that couldn’t be said were conveyed through the emotions of this kiss. It was impossible for Hyungwon to tell if it’s been seconds or hours since he initiated the kiss. Not that he cared, time was unimportant.

He very carefully pushed you so that you were laying on your back, and he was just barely hovering over you. He used his elbow to prop himself up, his other hand gliding up and down your side. You hummed, moving one hand into his hair, and one to his chest. All too soon he pulled his lips from yours. Both of you were breathing heavily, too caught up in the moment to really care.

Hyungwon placed a kiss on the tip of your nose, and another on your forehead. A quiet sigh escaped your lips, making him smile. He placed a kiss on both of your cheeks before he captured your lips again. He couldn’t seem to get enough of you. He didn’t want to leave; he didn’t want to let you go. Time agreed with him, because created the bubble they were in.

It was you who broke the kiss this time. “You’re distracting me from my drama…” You mumbled, looking at him as though you were caught in a trance.

He chuckled at your words, smiling as though you had said the most precious thing. “Is that a bad thing?” He asked in a whisper.

“No, but if you keep distracting me I won’t be able to finish it tonight.” 

“Well, then I guess we’ll just have to watch it together.” He adjusted your positions on the couch, so that he was behind you. He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over the two of you, making sure it mostly covered you. He then wrapped his arm around your waist, pressing your back against his chest. You ended up taking his other arm and using it as a pillow. Grabbing the remote, you put your drama back on.

In the end, you were only able to watch one more episode before you succumbed to sleep. Hyungwon watched the drama for a little while longer before falling asleep himself. So there he was, sleeping with his soulmate in his arms for what would be the first of many nights to come.


	14. Newton

You woke to an incessant pounding on the door. You groaned, stretching out on the couch until the arms around you prevented you from moving anymore. “Stop moving.” His words were slurred with sleep. It took you a moment to process why there were arms and legs wrapped around you, and why you felt so comfortable in this person’s presence.

Last night’s talk with Hyungwon came flooding back to you. You smiled for a split second, then the knocking on the door got louder, and your phone started vibrating loudly on the floor. You stretched your arm out, just barely reaching your phone in time to answer the call.

“Hello?” You mumbled, resting your head on Hyungwon’s chest. 

“Y/n please, for the love of everything, open your door.” The voice on the other end of the line belonged to your father. You bolted upright, staring at the door.

“You’re here?” You were more alert now.

“Yes, I’ve been here for the past ten minutes. Apparently knocking isn’t enough to get your attention.” The knocking stopped then, and you knew your dad was waiting for you to get up and let him in.

“Sorry, sorry. I was up late watching a drama.” You tried to get up, but Hyungwon refused to let you go. 

“Of course you were. Just hurry and open the door.”

“Okay, okay, just give me a few minutes.” You mumbled, hanging up the phone. You ran a hand through your hair, unsure of what to do. You definitely couldn’t let your dad find out about Hyungwon yet. No doubt he’d do a full background check the moment he found out about him. 

“Hyungwon, you need to get up.” You gently nudged his shoulder in attempt to wake him.

“Give me another two hours and then I’ll wake up.” He slurred.

“No, we don’t have two hours. You need to get up now.” You urged, shaking him more.

He groaned in response, clearly making no move to get up. “Please, you need to get up. My dad’s here…”

“He can wait.” Came a muffled reply. 

“No, he can’t. Please. You can continue sleeping in my room. Please, just get up.” You managed to get out of his grip, and now began to attempt to pull him off the couch.

Getting him up was not an easy task. Getting him into your closet was even harder. You were only able to get him to hide by promising to make it up to him, and that he could sleep for however long he wanted in the closet.

As you went to open the door for your father, you realized his shoes were right by yours. Panicking, you threw them into the cupboard under the kitchen sink. Fixing your hair, you opened the door.

“It’s about time.” Your dad said, stepping inside and kicking off his shoes. 

“Yeah well, I was asleep, and it’s the weekend, so I really don’t know why you were expecting me to answer right away.” You said, closing the door. “What brings you here anyways?”

“Ah. Yes, I wanted to drop this off.” He dug into his pockets, pulling out a small box. “It’s your mom’s anniversary present, and I don’t want her finding it.” He handed the box to you.

“Seriously? You woke me up just so you could have me hang onto mom’s birthday present for you?”

“Yes, and I figured that we could eat breakfast together. Is Sohyun here?”

“No, she’s over at Seokjin’s for the day.” You sighed.

“I’m not going out anywhere, now am I making anything. So if you want breakfast, you have to make it and clean up the mess.”

“Damn, if you didn’t want to eat breakfast you could’ve just said no.” Your father feigned mock hurt.

“Yeah, well, it’s too early for breakfast anyways.”

“It’s ten thirty, Y/n.”

“Maybe for you, but I just woke up. It’s too early for food.”

Your dad rolled his eyes at you. “Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever. Just hold onto your mom’s gift until I ask for it.”

“Okay. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go get ready to sit on the couch all day and do nothing.”

“Man, I feel bad for your soulmate. They’re going to have to put up with your cranky moods.” Your dad was out the door before you could retaliate. You sighed, slumping your shoulders. This was not how you wanted to start your day.

You set your dad’s gift on the counter and walked into your room. Hyungwon wasn’t in the closet, like he had been when you last saw him. Instead, he was laying on your bed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. 

“What happened to staying in the closet?” You asked, raising your eyebrow at him.

“It’s cramped in there. I may be lanky, but I’m also tall.” He said simply.

“Do you want breakfast? I have cereal, or I could cook up some eggs and toast.” You offered.

“Didn’t you just tell your dad that it’s too early to eat?” He sat up a bit, turning to look at you.

“Yeah, I did, and it is rather early, but I really just used it as an excuse to get him to leave.” You shrugged.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter. How would you feel about coming to my place for breakfast? Ki can cook some really good food.” 

“Oh? Does this mean I need to shower?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest.

“If you want to go, then sure.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“Alright.” You went over to your closet, and began sifting through which shirt you wanted to wear. Hyungwon came up behind you and put his hand on your shoulder, turning you around to face him.

“You know, it really sucked being woken up like that.” He said bluntly.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t know my dad would be coming over.” You scratched the back of your head.

“It doesn’t matter, in the end.” He shrugged, “I’m just upset I didn’t get to wake up the way I had imagined I would.”

“Oh? And how did you imagine you’d be woken up?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“For starters, sleeping until one in the afternoon. Hey! Don’t laugh!” He reached up and poked your nose, which only served to make you laugh harder.

“Sorry, sorry. Just, one in the afternoon? That’s late, even for me!” You laughed.

He huffed, sticking out his lower lip, “Well excuse me for valuing my sleep.” he grumbled.

You stood on your toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Hyungwon paused, clearly caught off guard. He stared at you, a strange look in his eyes. “You know, there’s another thing I was looking forward to that didn’t happen.” He muttered.

“What?” You whispered, anticipating his next words, but they never came. Instead, his arm snaked around your waist and pulled you to him as he bent his head down for a kiss. 

The air around you buzzed as you moved your lips against his. It was a welcome feeling, something you hoped wouldn’t go away over time. It was less prominent than it had been when you first kissed, but it was still electrifying. Your arms came to wrap around his neck as you leaned into him. 

Hyungwon was always gentle with his kisses, you’ve noticed. He held you close, like he didn’t want to ever let you go, and honestly, you didn’t want him to. It felt like the world dissipated around you when he held you, like you were the only two people in the universe that mattered. 

You never saw yourself connecting with Hyungwon. You were always under the belief that he was bad, and that any connection you had with him would be bad. Yet here you were, being proven wrong. His arms were safe, supportive, loving, everything you’ve ever wanted and more.

The kiss was over much too soon; you weren’t ready to let go of the bliss. You rested your forehead on his chest, taking a moment to recollect yourself. You felt him press a kiss to the top of your head and smiled. “Is this how you envisioned the start of the day?” You asked.

“It’s definitely closer to what my vision was, yes.” He answered.

You chuckled, finding yourself unable to step out of his embrace. He was warm and soft, strong and secure. You knew that he would be the first one to support you, the first one to save you, whether it be from the world or yourself. It was reassuring, knowing you had someone had your back in the way he did.

“Question,” He started, slightly pulling away so he could see you, “are you going to get ready or are you planning to stay here? I don’t mind either way, but if you want to keep our breakfast plans, we’d need to get going soon.”

“Ah…” You pulled yourself away from him, picking out your clothes without paying attention to what you were grabbing. “Give me like, twenty minutes, and I’ll be ready.” You dashed out of the room and across the hall into the bathroom.

True to your word, you were ready to go in twenty minutes. Granted, your hair wasn’t done, and you only had the bare minimum of makeup on. You wore a white sweater with cherry blossoms on it and skinny jeans. Hyungwon said nothing as you walked out of your apartment. He just held your hand as he walked with you to his car.

The car ride was short. Despite your previous beliefs, Hyungwon didn’t live far from you at all. The drive to his place was merely fifteen or twenty minutes long. You weren’t too sure, seeing as you were too focused on holding his hand to pay much attention to where you were going.

As Hyungwon was helping you out of the car, you realized -oddly enough- that you weren’t nervous about meeting those he lived with. You’ve already interacted with them in some way, and you knew in your gut that they’d like you. Though that didn’t stop you from worrying about if they’d approve of you. After all, you had essentially been a bitch to their friend for quite some time, and now you were officially together. Would they think poorly of you because of that?

The moment you stepped inside, Hyungwon called out to no one in particular, “Is breakfast done yet?”

“Woah, Hyungwon awake before noon? What is this sorcery?” Someone coming down the stairs said. You didn’t recognize this person, like you thought you would. Apparently you didn’t know everyone. This person had black hair that fell over his forehead. He wore round glasses and had a single earring dangling from his left ear. He was dressed in an AC/DC T-shirt and black skinny jeans. The moment he laid eyes on you he stopped short, and you thought you saw recognition in his eyes. “Ah, now I understand why you’re up early, and why you didn’t come home.” He winked at you, causing a blush to spread across your face. 

“Changkyun,” Hyungwon started, “it’s not that big of a deal.”

The man, who you now knew to be Changkyun, looked taken back at the use of his name, but quickly recovered. “Oh no, it’s definitely a big deal. You’re up before noon, you stayed out all night, you bring your soulmate home, this is definitely not something to be ignored.” He acted like he was serious, but it was obvious he was anything but. He turned to you and held out his hand, “I’m Changkyun. I prefer to be called I.M.” 

You were sure I.M was a code name, just like H.One was, but you didn’t say anything. “Y/n.” You shook his hand, smiling a little. 

“Is everyone else here?” Hyungwon asked, his eyes scanning around the living room.

“Yeah, they’re all in the kitchen.” He answered. 

“Oh good, that makes things easier.” Hyungwon grabbed your hand and began pulling you to the kitchen. As you walked together, you glanced around the house. The first thing you noticed was that there were no pictures to be seen anywhere, the complete opposite of your own home. There seemed to be a lack of furniture. Only the bare minimum was present; there wasn’t even a TV to be seen. It was oddly clean. Somebody clearly took time out of their daily schedule to make sure everything was perfect. 

The moment you walked into the kitchen, everything immediately went silent. It was awkward, to say the least. It was for you anyways, you weren’t sure how everyone else felt. If anything, they were stunned to see you. 

“Oh my gosh, it all makes sense now.” The one with white and blue hair said. 

“Of all things I was expecting, this certainly wasn’t it.” Ki -if you remembered correctly- said. 

Hyungwon rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. You all think I stayed out and slept with Y/n-” 

“Actually, it’s pretty obvious you didn’t sleep together.” The redhead interjected, cutting Hyungwon off. “The tension is palpable.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell.” Changkyun said, “I was thinking it was tension because they slept together.”

“Nah, they definitely haven’t. You’ll know how to tell the different tensions apart when you meet your soulmate.” The white and blue haired man said. 

You were blushing, and trying to hide your face in your hands. Hyungwon was shifting his weight from side to side, scratching behind his ear as he listened to his friends go on about how the two of you haven’t had sex. 

“Anyways,” Hyungwon stopped them, “I think it’s time for you all to introduce yourselves.” The way they paused their teasing and listened to him showed you that they all held a great amount of respect for the man beside you.

“I’m Ki,” The one standing by the stove said, “short for Kihyun.”

“And I’m Wonho,” The one with the white and blue hair stated, “though I’m more likely to respond to Bunny.”

“I’m Minhyuk,” The redhead said, “though if you could call me Sunshine, that’d be great.”

“Jooheon,” The blond spoke up for the first time, raising his hand as he spoke, “Honey is just fine too.”

“And I’m Shownu, or Bear. Doesn’t really matter.” The brown head was the last to speak up. You realized, after looking at everyone, you recognized all but Jooheon. You’ve seen them all somewhere, sometimes lurking around, other times doing things you probably shouldn’t know about. 

You waved to them all, “Hi, I think you know already but I’m Y/n. No nickname or anything…” You somehow managed to sound confident, and not awkward. It was a small thing, but you were proud of yourself for it. 

“Today, we’re going American style and having pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Feel free to sit at the table.” Kihyun gestured to where all the boys were sitting. It was a long table, large enough to fit at least ten people. Hyungwon took his seat at the head of the table, so you decided to take the seat that was to his left. 

“So, Y/n, tell us, how did you get him up so early?” Wonho said, leaning forward in his seat, clearly eager to know the secret.

“Umm, well, I had to drag him off the couch.” You told them bluntly, “and getting him into my closet was quite the difficult task.” 

“Wait, why did you put him in your closet?” Changkyun asked.

“Ah, because my dad came over with no warning, and last thing I need is him finding out I found my soulmate and doing a full background check on them then say that I’m never allowed to see him again.” You explained, finding it was easy to talk to them.

“What does your dad do exactly…?” Shownu asked hesitantly.

“He works for the NIS.” You didn’t miss the way they all glanced at each other, but decided to ignore it. 

“And what do you do?” Kihyun asked, placing all the pancakes onto one big plate.

“I’m studying to be a psychologist.” You answered.

“Ooh, psychology is fun.” Shownu said, rubbing his hands together. “Playing with the mind and seeing other’s behavior is super interesting.” 

“That is why I started studying psych, because it solves many of the human mysteries.” You told them all. 

“Oh! By the way, Hyungwon,” Ki started, “the only thing you missed last night was Jooheon and Wonho bickering over what to do for the night. Nothing happened at all.”

Hyungwon merely nodded, not saying a word.

Minhyuk began placing plates all around the table as Shownu came around with the silverware. A pitcher of orange juice was placed in the middle of the table, and a cup was given to each person. They were very organized with their setting. One thing you noticed was that Hyungwon was always the first to receive, and you were second. The order after that didn’t seem to matter much, but it sparked your curiosity. Why was Hyungwon always first? 

The food came next, plates stacked with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast sat in the middle of the table. Butter and jam was placed beside the toast, and soon everyone was looking at Hyungwon to take his food first. However, instead of serving himself first, he took your plate and dished you up, so that you were the first, not the second. He placed your plate, now filled with two pancakes, scrambled eggs, three pieces of bacon, and a piece of toast, in front of you. He then took his own plate and dished himself the same amount of food as he did for you. The others followed after, all taking their respective turns getting food. It was interesting to watch how they worked, like they’ve been together their entire lives.

The moment you took a bite of food, you muttered, “Wow…”

“Hey Ki, I think she likes your cooking.” Wonho nudged Kihyun, who just smiled.

“See? I told you he has the best cooking.” Hyungwon leaned in closer towards you as he spoke, clearly amused by your reaction.

You simply rolled your eyes at him and carried on with your food.

“So Y/n,” Changkyun started, his mouth full of egg, “will we be seeing you around here more?”

You glanced at Hyungwon before nodding, “Yes, I think you will.” 

“And do you play video games?” Jooheon asked, hope clearly written on his face.

“I dabble in Nintendo games…” You answered, not really sure if that was what he was hoping to hear.

“Perfect! Another person to play Mario Kart with.” Minhyuk exclaimed.

“No, you don’t want me to play Mario Kart with you. I’d crush you in the game.” You sat up straighter, pretending you had all the confidence in the world. 

“Is that a bet?” The redhead asked, raising his eyebrows.

“I don’t know, do you want it to be?” You challenged.

“Oh, it’s on.” He declared.


	15. Beautiful

“You’re so beautiful.

I can’t take my eyes off you.

Like a thorn on a flower,

I know I’ll get pricked but I want you.

So beautiful, so beautiful.

You’re so pretty, so beautiful it makes me sad.

Too beautiful to handle.” Hyungwon was singing to you, much to your embarrassment. He poked your sides, grinning as you tried to squirm away from him. You broke free from his grasp, making a mad dash to the other side of the room. He chased after you, giving you no opportunity to catch your breath. 

“Hyungwon!” You screeched, falling onto your bed. You didn’t have time to get up and recover because he crawled on top of you and began to tickle your sides. You twisted and turned, trying to break free of his unrelenting fingers. 

“Two fingers thumbs up,

You make me say words of awe,

You take away my right mind.

I think I’ll go crazy.” His ability to sing and laugh, all while sounding melodious, awed you. 

“Stop! I need to pee!” You cried. He finally stopped, allowing you time to catch your breath. 

“Are you sure you need to pee and you’re not just using this as an excuse?” He pointed a finger at you, wiggling it to prove he was ready to attack at any second. 

“Yes!” You laughed, “I really have to pee!”

“Alright, fine.” He rolled his eyes, moving off you. You didn’t waste a second, dashing out of the room before he had a chance to attack again. 

You came back to him lying on his stomach, sprawled out on the bed. “What are you doing?” You questioned. 

He lifted his head to look at you. “I’m waiting.”

“For what?”

“For you.”

“Why? So you can tickle me again?”

“No. I’m bored.”

“Wow. I’m surprised you’re not trying to sleep.” 

“To be fair, we’re supposed to order take out and right now, food trumps sleep.”

“Wow, okay. Jjajangmyeon good?”

“Yes. Perfect.”

“Can you toss me my phone?”

He took a second to look around, finding your phone by his head. He threw it towards you, briefly giving you a heart attack because you thought he didn’t throw far enough for you to catch it. Thankfully, you did. You dialed the restaurant just down the street, ordering food for Hyungwon and you. 

“So, can I interest you in a drama?” You asked, pocketing your phone. 

“What kind of drama…?” He asked skeptically. 

“A good one.” You answered. 

“You say that about every drama.” He pointed out. 

“Correction, not every drama. There are some dramas I can’t stand.” 

“Right…”

“Anyways, it’s a period drama.”

“From the Joseon era?”

“Yup.”

He sighed, getting up “Alright then, let’s get started.”

You grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him out to the living room. You sat him down on the couch, immediately putting on said drama. You sat on the couch, cuddling close to Hyungwon. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders, holding you close. 

You managed to get through half the episode before the doorbell rang. You got up from the couch and grabbed your money, opening the door. On the other side was Youngjae, holding your food in the metal box. His salacious smile made your skin crawl and your stomach fill with unease.

He seemed to notice your sudden hesitation, and decided to take advantage of it. He took a step towards you, so you took a step back. “Y/n,” his voice was gravelly, a failed attempt to be seductive.

Hyungwon was by your side, wrapping his arm around your waist before you even had a chance to call for him. He had put his facemask on to hide his face from the man at the door. His eyes met with Youngjae’s, challenging him to try anything. Youngjae’s demeanor changed immediately. He stepped back, cowering in fear. He was now more tense, and less predatorial. 

The tension in the room was palpable. Hyungwon was radiating fury. You didn’t have to look at him to know that there was a fire burning in his eyes. His arm around you tightened, holding you protectively, declaring you were his, and that if you were touched, he wouldn’t hesitate to rip the world apart.

You felt Hyungwon take the money out of your hands and thrust it into Youngjae’s hands, who robotically traded it with the food. Hyungwon slammed the door in Youngjae’s face, not giving two shits that his foot got caught in the door. You could hear Youngjae’s yelp of pain, but you couldn’t react to it. 

Hyungwon slid the mask off his face, turning to face you. His eyes softened, and he let his arm fall from your waist. “Has he always worked there?” He questioned, setting the two bowls of noodles on the kitchen counter.

“No. I’ve never seen him there.” You sighed. Now you couldn’t order from the most convenient place without worrying about seeing Youngjae. Would you ever be safe? 

You had told Hyungwon about everything Youngjae has said to you about being soulmates a couple weeks ago. You were glad to finally get some weight off your chest and tell someone. You had known that Hyungwon would be protective, and that he’d be completely on your side long before you told him that Youngjae was a psychopath. Tonight only proved to you that he would have your back, that you could put your faith in him. He’d never let you down; he’d always save you. 

When you talked to him about your problem, he let you vent it all out to him, then took every measure to make sure you wouldn’t have to deal with him. Clearly, Youngjae managed to slip through the cracks, and you could tell it put Hyungwon on edge. Though you’ve only been bonding for a month, you could read him like you could Sohyun.

Bonding was a bizarre experience. It was something all soulmates went through in their own ways, and it how long it took to bond completely varied depending on numerous things. The strength of a bond was reliant on the soulmates. Most people were completely bonded within a month, and the strength of it wasn’t anything particularly out of the ordinary. With you and Hyungwon, it was obvious that there was still a lot of sealing to do. Already your relationship with him was stronger than what most would have. 

When Hyungwon wasn’t around, your mood was down, and you didn’t have motivation to do much. The only thing that would be on your mind was Hyungwon, and how much longer you had to wait to see him again.

When people first find their soulmate, they often take a month off so they could spend it together. Neither you nor Hyungwon could do that, which led to suffering on both sides. The pain was worth it though. Because when you got to meet with him, everything dissipated, and it was only you and him. It was bliss.

“Y/n,” Hyungwon waved his hand in front of your face, “you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” You nodded.

“You positive?” He pressed.

“I think.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, not too sure how I feel right now.”

“Do you still want to eat?”

“Yeah, don’t wanna waste it all.”

You grabbed a bowl for yourself and sat on the couch, Hyungwon joining you seconds later. The drama started playing again as your settled in to eat.

“Ooh I like this scene.” You commented, pointing your chopsticks to the TV.

“Why do you like it?” He asked over a mouthful of noodles.

“Because this is when the guy realizes he likes the girl.” You explained, chowing down on your food.

You glanced over at Hyungwon, having felt him staring at you for the past couple of minutes. “What?” You asked, wiping the back of your hand across your mouth.

He just shook his head at you, laughing to himself.

“Tell me!” You pleaded, turning your body to face him.

“It’s just,” He paused, taking a moment to choose his next words. “You’re just so beautiful.”

“You sure about that?” You asked, squinting at him.

“Absolutely positive.” Came his firm reply.

“Well, then I suppose, I’ll boost your ego and say that for once, you’re right. I am beautiful.”

He laughed, “As beautiful as a red rose.” 

“For the most part, yes.” 

“For every part. Every moment. I don’t know. I can’t speak properly.” He fumbled around his words. It was amusing to see him so befuddled.

“In any case, pay attention to the drama, it’s about to get really interesting.”

“Yes ma’am.” 

By two in the morning, you had watched nearly half the episodes of the drama. You were snuggled in a blanket and Hyungwon’s arms. Your head lay on his chest, your arms around his torso. 

“Hyungwon,” You mumbled, snagging his attention away from the show. “Did you ever hate me for avoiding you? And saying hurtful things to you?”

“No,” His voice was barely above a whisper, “I’ve never hated you. I was heartbroken, and angry, sure, because for awhile it seemed you’d never see me. I saw you, but it was like I was invisible.”

“I’m sorry…” You lamented. You didn’t see the truth, and you hated yourself for it. To think you could’ve been so much more by now if you hadn’t been so blind hurt.

“Don’t fret over it, my Dear.” You could feel his lips on the top of your head, pressing a gentle kiss to your scalp. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Really? Why?” You looked at him, confused. Why wouldn’t he want to change how you met? Why wouldn’t he want to change the fact that you used to hate him?

“Because, it’s what brought us to where we are now. And who knows, if we had had an easy meeting, we would have probably had a typical relationship. I think that, because it took so long for us  
to come together, we are able to be more, able to have such a deep connection that a month isn’t long enough for it to fully develop.”

“I guess I never really saw it like that…” You admitted, closing your eyes and resting your head on his shoulder. You shifted on his lap, getting in a more comfortable position. “I was focused on the mistakes I made, I forgot to look at how we got here.”

“That’s okay.” He said, leaning his head against the back of the couch. 

“Hyungwon…” You mumbled.

“Yes, Darling?” He rested his cheek on top of your head.

“Do you think Youngjae would do anything to me?” You felt his arms tighten around you as he stiffened at your question.

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t put it past him.” He answered honestly.

“What if he does do something?”

“Then there’s nothing in this universe that would stop me from getting to you and making him pay. I’d go to the ends of the earth for you.”

“Mmm...am I really that important?”

“Yes,” he whispered reverently, “your a jewel that I don’t deserve.”

“You must really love me.”

“I do.” You let out a small giggle, “I really love you too.”

“Go to sleep, My Love. You’re tired, I can hear it in your voice.”

“Mmm…goodnight.” You slurred.

“Goodnight.”


	16. Steal Your Heart

“I can’t decide if I want to punch you, or kiss you right now.” You rolled eyes, not entirely sure how you should feel about Hyungwon stealing your house keys.

“Strangely enough, this is one time I can’t see why you’d want to kiss me.” He said, dangly the keys over your head.

“Two reasons: one, it’d distract you, so that I can get my keys back. Two, kissing you is nice and honestly I can’t lie and say I want to leave.” You explained, trying to jump up and grab your keys.

“So then if that’s how you feel, why would you want to punch me?” He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

“Because you’re an ass who stole my keys and I’d hate you for that, but I love you too much.” You briefly had a hold on your keychain, but Hyungwon ripped it out of your hands before you could fully grasp it.

“Was it explicitly said that you had to leave?” He stood on his tiptoes, making it virtually impossible for you to grab your keys now. 

“Well, no.” You mumbled.

“So then why don’t you stay?”

“Because I have class early in the morning.”

“And because you have class, you can’t stay? Even if I drove you there? And treated you out to breakfast?” He stared down at you, waiting for your response.

“If I stay the night, it’ll be hard to leave in the morning.” You told him, sticking out your lower lip.

“And that’s a bad thing because…?”

“Because I have class tomorrow.”

“Darling, all I’m hearing are excuses.”

“What am I supposed to do? Ditch my class?”

“No, but you also don’t have to leave.” He took a step towards you, so you took a step back. He kept moving towards you until your back was pressed against the wall, and you had nowhere else to go.

“Well...technically I don’t.”

“Are you saying that you’ll stay?”

“No. Again, it’ll be hard to leave in the morning.”

“What if I took you out on a date to make up for that?”

“You sure you won’t be sleeping?”

“I can’t guarantee that.”

“Mhmm, see?”

“Okay, what if Changkyun picked you up?”

“And what? Bring me over to watch you sleep?” 

“Well, I might be awake by then. I don’t know.”

“What will you do if I stay?” You questioned, staring into his eyes.

“Well, that depends, what do you want me to do?” He snaked his arm around your waist, pulling you against his body. Your hands immediately went to his chest, one hand going up to play with the collar of his shirt.

“Well, that depends, what do you want to do?” You mimicked, looking at him through your eyelashes.

“Well, since you asked…” You never heard the end of the sentence because his lips were on yours in a matter of seconds.

You’ve grown used to his playful antics by now. After all, your bond with him has only grown in the last six months. This always happened. You’d say you had to go, even when you didn’t mean it, and he’d somehow convince you to stay. Sometimes he’d bribe you with food, other times, like right now, he’d seduce you with a kiss.

You couldn’t complain. It took six months for the bond between you two to reach its full potential. Partially because you weren’t around each other as often as other soulmates would be in this period of your relationship. And partially because there was so much to share, and take, and set between the two of you. Your connection with him was powerful; unbreakable, untouchable. Occasionally, you could feel his emotions bubble up in your chest as if they were your own. It didn’t always happen, but when it did, the emotions behind it were intense.

He pushed you into the wall, his body flush with yours. Your hand moved to his hair, while the other slipped under the collar of his shirt, feeling the skin of his shoulder. You faintly heard the clank of your keys hitting the ground as he let them slip from his hand. He held you by the waist, his lips eagerly moving against yours.

You woke to your alarm blaring next to you. You were tangled up in the sheets, sprawled out across Hyungwon. His heart steadily beat beneath your ear, a calming contrast to the shrill sound of your phone. You sat up, his arms falling from around you as you reached to turn off the unwelcome sound.

“Mmm...thank you.” A tired Hyungwon mumbled. 

You rolled your eyes, sliding out of bed. “You know, you could have turned that off yourself.”

“Mhmm…” He shifted, pulling the covers around him more. You shook your head at him.

“If you’re going to drive me to class like you promised, you need to get up.” You reminded.

“Give me another hour..” He replied.

“You can either have another hour, or I won’t let you in when you come over next.”

“I have a key.”

“Not if I take it.”

“You forget that time I picked the lock.”

You sighed, opening his closet and taking the one hoodie he owned. You threw it on, not caring how big it was on you. You only had two classes and your internship for the day; y9ou weren’t worried about vanity. “Okay, I’ll just find some other way to get back at you.”

“When has that ever worked out?” Slowly, he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Oh would you look at that, the sun has risen.” You teased.

He glared at you, clearly not happy to have been woken up. “Oh ha ha, very funny.”

“It is. You should see your hair. It’s sticking up all over the place.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not in the mood to care.”

“Okay Mr. Grumpy pants. I’ll meet you downstairs.” You didn’t give him time to argue as you left the room. It was never easy getting him out of bed, but once he was, he was up till he needed to be. 

As you waited for him, you scrolled through your Twitter feed, sitting at the dining room table. Your daily ritual was interrupted when you received a series of texts from Youngjae.

(7:32am) “Y/n, I changed my major.”

(7:32am) “I’m majoring in psychology now because of you.”

(7:33am) “Why aren’t you answering me”

(7:33am) “You need to answer me.”

(7:33am) “Aren’t you proud?”

(7:35am) “Y/n, if you don’t answer me you’ll regret it”

(7:35am) “Y/n can we talk tonight?”

(7:38am) “We need to talk”

You bit your lip, unsure how to reply to his messages. You’ve been avoiding him as much as you could, not wanting to have to talk about his sociopathic ideals. You’ve been getting texts and calls from him for a few months now, though you haven’t replied to a single one thus far. You knew you should tell Hyungwon, but you didn’t want to burden him with it. They were only texts after all.

“Oh, by the way,” You jumped in your seat, evoking a laugh from Hyungwon, “sorry, didn’t realize you were off in your own world. Anyways, the boys and I have to go out of town for the night, so I won’t see you till tomorrow.”

“Damn. Is that why you were so adamant about me staying last night?” You couldn’t hide your disappointment. You had been hoping that, after what was going to be a very stressful day, you could just lie down with Hyungwon and watch some movies. Unfortunately, that would have to wait. 

“Partially. I just felt like last night was not a night to let you go home.” He said, coming towards you. “Ready to go?” He bent down and pecked your lips, giving you a soft smile.

“I think the question is, are you ready to go?” You countered, standing up. 

“My Dear, I am always ready.” He replied, laughing. 

You shook your head at him, “Uh huh, like I can believe that. By the way, we only have time to stop by Starbucks for breakfast, since I so generously let us sleep in an extra hour.”

“Why’d you do that?”

“Because, Darling, I have never seen you get up before 7 o’clock.” 

“Fair enough. Come on, let’s go. Last thing we need is to be late.”

“Tell me about it. If you don’t get your coffee, we’re all fucked.”

~~~

(6:59pm) “We’re leaving now”

(6:59pm) “Be safe getting home from work”

You didn’t get a chance to reply to him until an hour later, when you were finally getting home from work. You stood outside the building, taking a moment to breathe in the night air.

(8:04pm) “I got home safely, don’t worry”

(8:05pm) “You worry about yourself”

(8:05pm) “And don’t get in trouble” 

It was too cloudy to see the stars, but you liked to imagine you could see where each constellation was. It was the perfect night to just sit back and relax, despite all the studying you needed to do.

“Y/n,” Youngjae’s voice startled you. 

“Youngjae, what’re you doing here?” You asked, faking a smile.

“I’ve been waiting for you.” He said bluntly.

“Why?” You tried to feign ignorance, though you were sure he could see right through you.

“Haven’t you seen my texts? We need to talk.”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t really been able to look at my phone.” 

“You were just looking at your phone.” He pointed out.

You were starting to get nervous. Something about this didn’t feel right. “Yeah, and that’s the first time I’ve looked at it all day.”

“No, it’s not. You were texting all throughout your classes, and during your internship you were constantly checking your phone.”

“Wow okay. How do you know this?” By now your skin was crawling. Every possible answer ran through your head, and each one terrified you. Where was Hyungwon? Why did he have to leave tonight of all nights?

“Because I’ve been watching you. I told you, we’re supposed to be soulmates. So of course I’d keep an eye on you.”

“Keep an eye on me, or stalk me?” You asked, surprised to hear how strong your voice sounded. You didn’t feel mighty on the inside.

“Keep an eye on you. I have to make sure H.One doesn’t hurt you.”

You had to roll your eyes at that. “He’s one of my most trusted friends, he wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Oh I’d beg to differ.” He countered. “I’m sure that once he gets you on drugs, it’ll be a different story.”

“There’s literally nothing he could do that would get me on drugs.” You caught movement in the corner of your eye. You tried to dismiss it as a stray cat, but deep down you knew it wasn’t.

“You say that now, but soon you’ll find you’re being drugged unwillingly, and then your addicted.”

“Is that what happened to you?”

“Yes. But I wouldn’t change that. I’m quite happy with where it’s gotten me. After all, I got to find my real soulmate because of it.”

“What happened to your soulmate?”

“She’s right in front of me. Did you not hear a word I just said?” He was growing angry.

“The other one I mean.” You corrected yourself, taking a step away from him.

“She’s dead. Killed her. She’s probably rotting in a ditch by now.” He talked as if killing someone was as normal as going out to buy bananas. 

“You-” You had to pause and take a minute to process what he just said. “You killed her?”

“Oh yes.” His sadistic grin told you all you needed to know. You needed to get out of there, fast.

You turned to run, but ran into someone’s chest. You were blinded by a rag going over your face and before you could react, a sweet smell filled your senses, and everything went black.


	17. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a half chapter, basically just enough to delve into Youngjae's mind but not enough to get deep into it.

He’s been watching you. It was never up close. Always from a distance so he wouldn’t have to worry about the danger meter throbbing in his arm. The last thing he needed was unnecessary pain. When he killed his original soulmate, the pain was nearly unbearable, but the thought of finally being able to take you is what kept him sane.

Watching you hang around H.One was aggravating. He couldn’t stand it. Why did you befriend his enemy? It made no sense. You go from hating a man, to spending everyday with him. It frustrated Youngjae, especially on the days you wouldn’t come home. What was H.One doing to you? Was he getting you to have sex with him? Was he drugging you? Was he grooming you? Was he using you? Whatever it was, he’d never forgive what was done.

But he didn’t have to worry about that anymore, because now he had you. With the help of YG, he was able to take you for himself. He had lots of plans for you, depending on how you reacted to him. 

No one would ever be able to find you, not that anyone would truly care that you went missing. He could kill you if he wanted, and if you didn’t accept him, he wouldn’t hesitate. He almost wished you wouldn’t accept him, so that he could have the pleasure of making sure no one else got to have you. If he couldn’t have you, no one else could.

Some may call him psychopathic, but YG was kind enough to point out that it was only because they didn’t understand. They were matched correctly, he wasn’t. Anyone who didn’t get the proper soulmate would react the same way.

He’d keep you from society, isolate you so that you wouldn’t have anyone but him to rely on. He couldn’t wait for you to wake up, for you to start screaming. He could comfort you then, and it would prove your fate together. You would finally be able to see what he saw. If you didn’t, well, he could give you to Jinho. 

Jinho was YG’s go to torturer. He knew all the best ways to break a person. If he had to break you, then so be it. It might take having to break you to get you to see reason. He was going to participate in the process of breaking you. After all, if he wanted to put you back together in a way that benefited him, he’d have to know exactly how you were destroyed,

You taught him a couple of things he could do to you psychologically. He was sure that you hadn’t realized that he’d use your lessons against you, but that’s what made it all the more better. Youngjae was ecstatic that he finally had you. H.One would never stand a chance against him.


	18. No Exit

You slowly began to gain consciousness. When you opened your eyes and couldn’t see anything, you began to freak out. You tried to lash out, to move around and scream, but found yourself unable to move, unable to open your mouth. You were strapped to a table, it seemed. Your senses started coming back to you, hitting you all at once. 

You realized you were shivering from the freezing air. You had been stripped of your clothes, with only your undergarments left to cover you. Your arms were strapped to your sides, your ankles cuffed to the end of the table. Duct tape covered your mouth, while a blindfold that was tied too tight was blinding you. 

You heard movements come from your right, and immediately stopped squirming. Maybe they hadn’t caught onto you being awake. It was wishful thinking, but you hoped.

“You don’t have to pretend, Y/n.” Youngjae spoke. “Your safe, as long as you answer my questions. If you don’t, or say something I don’t like, I’ll get Brutus for you.” 

He put his hand on your arm, slowly running it up until he came to your neck. Your skin crawled under his touch, and you fought to keep yourself under control. He ripped the duct tape off your mouth, a searing pain running through your body.

“First things first, what’s your relationship to H.One? Why do you spend more time with him than you do me, when I’m your soulmate?” He asked.

It took every ounce of control to not laugh at him. You didn’t answer him. Your relationship with Hyungwon was a private one. If Sohyun barely knew the details, then why would you tell Youngjae?

“Is it because he’s offering you drugs? Or are you letting him use you as a sex toy? In which case, I would have to kill him. Only I get to see you like that.”

His words made you want to throw up. How dare he think so low of Hyungwon? He wouldn’t do anything to you unless you told him you wanted it; he wouldn’t ever just use you for something like that. He treasure you too much.

You flinched at Youngjae’s touch, which was too close to your chest. You tried to move away from him, but it was fruitless.

“Are you going to answer any of my questions? Or do I need to get Brutus?”

You still didn’t say anything. You weren’t scared of this Brutus person. You knew you’d only be here for a short time, because you were positive that Hyungwon would come for you. It was only a matter of time before he’d come. You just had to wait.

“Just because you’re my real soulmate doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you. I’ve already killed the other one. Don’t think I’ll spare you.”

Yes, you were certain Hyungwon was on his way now. You weren’t sure how much time has passed, but he was definitely on his way. Maybe your father too, if he tried to stop by your place. Either way, someone was going to find you.

You heard shuffling as Youngjae left the room. It was silent for a minute before someone else came into the room. “Alright, let’s see what we have here.”

You knew that voice, you grew up listening to that voice. It was Jinho, you’re brother. What was he doing here? Was he in cahoots with Youngjae? Why did Youngjae refer to him as Brutus? “Jinho?” You squeaked out.

You were greeted with a blinding white light as the blindfold was ripped off your face. “Y/n??” Your brother’s face hovered over yours, his eyes filled with confusion. “You’re the one who was cozying up to the enemy mafia?” He asked.

Now it was your turn to be confused. “Are you saying your mafia?” You asked, more concerned about your brother in the crime ring than your soulmate. 

“A bit slow, are we sister?” He said, cocking an eyebrow. 

“But, but how?”

“Simple really, YG recruited me.” He squinted at you, reading your emotions. “And since you’re my sister, I know the perfect ways to torture you. Oh! What sweet revenge.” 

“Jinho, please..” You cried, hoping he’d seen reason.

“What? Just because we’re related doesn’t mean I won’t do anything.” He told you, laughing. “And don’t think for one second that that H.One guy will help you. What is he to you anyways? Your soulmate?” 

When you didn’t say anything, he stopped laughing and looked at you, really looked at you. “Holy shit…” He muttered, “He’s your fucking soulmate? We’re fucked. Oh we are so fucked. What the hell was Youngjae thinking bringing in the soulmate of a boss?! I gotta warn YG. I’ll be back.” He swiftly left the room, and once again you were left alone. 

So, Hyungwon was part of the mafia. Somehow, it didn’t surprise you. A lot of things started to make sense now. Everything he did hinted to the criminal organization. Should you be caring that he was mafia? Probably. Did you? No. Deep down, you knew it was wrong, but when it really came down to it, you couldn’t do anything about it. Three months ago, this information would’ve made you pack your bags and fly to a far away country. Now, you were more willing to accept it. 

You had to wonder, what exactly was it that Hyungwon and his team do? How many lives have they taken? And at the same time, how many have they saved? Were they the kind of mafia like Al Capone’s? Or was it more of a name? Clearly they’ve done some beastly things, seeing as how scared your brother was when he realized he was your soulmate. 

Could you turn a blind eye to Hyungwon’s wrongdoings? Already you were dragged into it, yet you weren’t exactly in the middle of it all. Even with it staring you in the face, could you excuse it? This was a battle of morale. Was it really okay for you to be with Hyungwon. You wanted to be. He pulled you in and held you close like you were the universe. You gravitated towards him, like the earth was attracted towards the sun. To be fair with yourself, you knew deep down, that he was a despicable person, and yet, you chose to be with him. So yes, you could turn a blind eye. 

You had to wonder though, why didn’t Hyungwon tell you about this before? Did he not trust you enough to tell you? Was he worried that you’d leave him if you found out? The thought of him not trusting you hurt, especially since you were now fully bonded. Surely he’d know that he could trust you.

As you stared up at the white ceiling, you felt a deep pain form in your chest. Your heart clenched, adding to the sudden pain. You knew it was from Hyungwon. He was suffering because of you, or rather, because of Youngjae. You wanted nothing more than to go to him and comfort him, but of course, you couldn’t do that. A weak throb started in your arm, a ghost sensation sent over your bond. You knew he was hurting. That was the most agonizing part of this ordeal.

Your brother came back to the room, carrying a black bag in his hands. “Well sis, since you’re H.One’s soulmate and you already know who some of us are, we can’t let you go. So instead, we’re gonna transfer you to another facility, that way H.One can’t get to you. Please note, it brings me great pleasure to do this to you.”

The last thing you heard before you were knocked out was the sound of your brother laughing.

This time, when you came to, you were shackled to a wall. Thankfully, it was only your wrists that were bound. You appeared to be in a cell, with nothing but a barred window. There was no bed, no pillow, no toilet. Just concrete. 

A rat scurried along the wall opposite of you. You flinched, praying it wouldn’t come near you. It didn’t, but a cockroach did crawl over your foot. The place was disgusting. It wreaked of mold and sewer water. You’d probably get pneumonia if you were there long enough.

You curled up in the corner, hugging your knees to your chest, and began to sob. Your own brother wouldn’t even help you! Your old friend put you in this situation! Where was your soulmate? How much longer would you have to wait?

Your body shook from the sobs that wracked your body, from the cold, damp air around you, from shock finally settling in. You began to doubt the strength of your mind. Would you really be able to survive until Hyungwon came for you? How many days has it been already? Would he really be able to find you?

You tried to have faith in him, tried to hope that any second he’d come rushing in and rescue you. But with each passing minute, the hope slowly faded into despair. You wept in pity of yourself. You felt so pathetic, so bare and exposed. How did you end up like this?

The first night was the easiest to bear. You had the strongest mindset that night. With every passing day, your hope dwindled, and you suffered. The only time you ever saw anyone was when you were being brought moldy bread and tap water, and even then that was only every other day.

You assumed only a week had passed, yet already you were starving and dehydrated. You could barely eat the food given to you, and you had to force yourself to drink the contaminated water. All this torture, simply because you wouldn’t answer invasive questions. All because your soulmate wasn’t Youngjae.

Every night you cried. And every night you yearned for Hyungwon, for the comfort and safety he provided. Each time you were met with that rat, which only came for the food you couldn’t eat. The rat and the numerous bugs milling about, were your only constant physical companions. Grief and agony had become your best friends.

The worst night -thus far- was the night of the thunderstorm.

It was dark outside the window, and it seemed to be raining out, judging from the harsh patter and the water seeping in. There was a loud crash, and then a flash of light, the telltale sign of a storm. 

You screamed, covering your ears. You tried to hide in the corner, squeezing your eyes shut and blocking your ears in attempt to keep the storm away from you. Of course, your hands did nothing to muffle the loud crashes of thunder, and shutting your eyes was useless against the impossibly bright flashes.

When the rat crawled over you, dead cockroach in its mouth, you lost it. You couldn’t take it anymore. You thrashed about, screaming as hot tears stained your cheeks, rinsing them of the dirt that’s accumulated. 

The shackles cut into your wrists, bruising them and breaking skin. Blood slowly began to trickle down your arms, but that was the least of your worries. You tried to break free, to escape, to run away from the storm, but you were powerless against the chains that kept you bound to the wall. You had no strength in your body. You continued to flail about, until you hit your head against the wall. There was a sickening crack, and as you began to lose consciousness, you felt blood trickle down the side of your face.


	19. Guilty

Hyungwon stared outside the window, watching as lightning lit up the sky, listening to the crashes of thunder. He hated himself. He had pledged to be there for you during every thunderstorm, no matter the time of day, or where you were at. Yet here he was, standing in front of his bedroom window, doing nothing.

He knew, that wherever you were right now, you were suffering; he could feel it. You were in pain, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had no idea where you were, what was happening to you.

He picked up the empty vase on his nightstand and threw it across the room in anger and frustration. The only lead he had was that it was Youngjae who took you, and that Youngjae was working with YG. 

The vase shattered the second it made contact with the wall. The shards of glass fell to the floor with a clatter, but Hyungwon didn’t care. Kihyun was getting pissed because of all the glass he’s been breaking, but his friend didn’t say anything. No one dared talk to Hyungwon unless it was necessary. The last man to talk to him about something that didn’t require his immediate attention lost an eye. 

A particularly loud boom shook the house, and Hyungwon knew that that was your limit. A second after that crash the bond felt off in a way, the pain in his arm spiked, and the colors around him seemed to dull. The moment he realized the colors had marginally faded, his heart stopped. Something life threatening had happened to you. It killed him, not knowing what was going on with you.

He punched the wall, a hole slightly larger than the size of his fist forming. Whatever Youngjae was doing to you, he’d pay the price for it. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on the man that took his soulmate, claiming her as his own. He wouldn’t rest until he made sure Youngjae knew the extent of his transgressions. 

The door to his room opened, but before Hyungwon had time to throw something at the intruder, Changkyun said, “Boss, I think I’ve found the van they used.”

Hyungwon stopped short, letting the knife he held fall back into his pocket. “Show me.”

He followed his hacker down to the basement, where all the technology he could possibly need was located. On various computer screens were pictures of a single van, all from different angles. “It took awhile, but I was able to find the van on CCTV seven miles from her apartment.” He explained, “I’m still working on getting a clear, distinct picture of the license plate, but for now, we’ve got the van. If you look at this picture,” He pointed to one of the monitors on the left, “You can just barely make out Youngjae in the driver’s seat.” 

Hyungwon leaned forward, squinting his eyes at the screen. He was almost certain that was Youngjae. “Do we know where the van went?” He asked, staring intensely at all the other screens.

“No, but get this. Just a day after the incident the van is seen again, going out of town.” Changkyun pulled up a new set of pictures and video clips, allowing Hyungwon to view each one of them. 

“It seems like they may be going to an abandoned sector. I’ve looked into the ones we’ve already identified, but they’re not there. They must have more hidden lairs we have yet to discover.”

“Have you told anyone else?” 

“No sir. I knew you’d want this information the second I got it.”

“Yes, that is correct. I’ll start sending groups of men out to scope any areas outside of town. Prepare any equipment they may need to take with them.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hyungwon turned on his heel and left to go back upstairs. He immediately called for thirty of his men, telling them to prepare to leave in pairs to scope out new areas and look for clues.

The pain in Hyungwon’s arm was never ending, but he’s begun to learn how to deal with it. Some days were better than others, but for the past week everything has been filled with agony. 

Sometimes it was too much to handle, and he’d lock himself up where no one could get to him, where he could let it all out. It hurt, you having been forcefully taken from him. He despised himself for a number of reasons. He failed at keeping his promise to protect you, to keep you safe. He failed at always being there for you, at keeping a watchful eye on you. He failed at keeping his promise to be there for you when you needed him. He failed at finding you in a timely manner. He failed in everything. He had thought that by now, he would have gotten to you. But it was only now that he was getting a lead. He’s failed you in so many ways, he wouldn’t be surprised if you never forgave him. He wouldn’t forgive himself.

At most, it’d take his group of men a few hours to gather any information. He prayed that they’d find something, even if it was the smallest thing. He was going crazy, not knowing where to even begin to start finding you. To make things even better, your father had begun to search for you because Sohyun reported you missing, so he now had to skirt around everything to avoid running into him.

He paced the room, chewing on the nail of his thumb. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Minhyuk come into the room. Minhyuk put his hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump and stiffen, ready to fight whoever it was. He relaxed when he saw it was Minhyuk. “What?” He managed to croak out.

“You gotta come eat. Kihyun made some soup.” He said, glancing about the room. “I see you broke another vase.”

“I’m not hungry.” Hyungwon stated, continuing his pace around the room.

“Hyungwon, you need to eat. You haven’t eaten all day.”

“Yeah, because I’m not hungry.”

“How do you expect to fight Youngjae if you don’t have the strength, because you’re not eating?” Minhyuk didn’t want to play that card, but it seemed he had no choice.

Hyungwon ran a hand through his hair, huffing in frustration. Minhyuk was right, he needed to have energy to get to you. “Fine, I’ll eat.” He relented.

Minhyuk grinned, and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the room and down the stairs to the dining room. 

“Oh, Hyungwon, I was worried you wouldn’t come down.” Wonho said, looking up from his laptop screen. 

Hyungwon merely rolled his eyes, and sat at the head of the table. Jooheon bounded into the room, a wide smile on his face. “Guess who just bribed a bunch of guys to spy on YG and infiltrate his men?” He announced, “Me! Oh the things people will do for money. It’s quite funny really.” 

Hyungwon felt a sense of pride in the man, ecstatic to hear the helpful news. “How much are you giving them?” He asked.

“Well, there’s five of them. I started them off with two-fifty grand, and told them I’d give them an extra twenty grand with each useful piece of information. They think that by the end of it all, they'll be millionaires, but I was bluffing about that part. They’ll die soon anyways.” Jooheon informed. Everyone in the room nodded in approval.

Right now, everything seemed to be working out well. If they kept up their pace like this, they’d find you soon. Hopefully the men Jooheon employed would be successful, and hopefully the men Hyungwon sent out would find something. 

Suddenly, food seemed more appetizing, and Hyungwon was able to realize just how hungry he really was. He nearly scarfed down the soup Kihyun put in front of him, burning his tongue in the process.

The bad news came after dinner. One by one, the men that were sent out came back with their reports, none of them having found anything. It was near 1am when the last pair came back, and that was when Hyungwon lost his patience.

“We’re sorry boss, but there’s nothing. There was no trace of any living thing, and no one’s been there in years.” The taller one lamented. Unfortunately for him, Hyungwon had a glass of wine in his hand. The deep red liquid soaked the other man’s clothes, staining the small patches of white.

After pouring the liquid on the man, Hyungwon threw the glass against the wall. It shattered, much like the vase from earlier did. No one dared to say a word as Hyungwon forced himself to calm down. “Keep. Looking.” He gritted out through his teeth. 

“H.One,” Kihyun put his hand on Hyungwon’s arm, “settle down. There’s still time. You know she’s alive. It’s okay. We’ll get to her. You need to be patient. Anger isn’t going to get you anywhere useful.” Kihyun paused, waiting for a reply from his friend. When the only thing he got was the death stare, he sighed. “Okay, come on, let’s get you to your room. You need to sleep.”

Hyungwon let Kihyun pull him away. He knew he needed to calm down, but he felt that no one understood just how dire the situation was. The colors were fading for fucks sake! Your life was in danger! The only way he could communicate this was through violence. Nothing would be getting done if he was sitting around dilly dallying and being patient. 

Kihyun pushed Hyungwon onto the bed, demanding for him to sleep. “Don’t make me have to knock you out, because I will.” He threatened, leaving Hyungwon alone in his room.

He really did try to sleep. In fact, he had almost been asleep, but then pain shot through his body, stemming from his arm. He shot up, gasping for air. Something was happening to you. Someone was hurting you, and he couldn’t be there to stop it.

The pain was unrelenting, steadily growing worse as each second passed. A scream bubbled up in his chest, forcing its way out. He scrambled off the bed, hitting the floor with a loud thud. He couldn’t get up, he could only howl in agony as he curled in on himself. His hands buried themselves deep into his hair, tugging viciously as a way to try and distract him from the sharp throbs in his arm.

He could understand now, why it was so dangerous to separate soulmates, why those in power were willing to split the universe to get their partner back. It ached. It mutilated his body and soul. He could only imagine how much worse it was for you. 

No one dared to come in and check on him. They knew there was nothing they could do to help him. The only thing they could do was help to get you back, then everyone’s suffering could end. His followers would do anything he needed them to, anything to help him. They pledged their loyalty to him, and that loyalty extended to you. 

The pain started recede marginally, but it was hardly noticeable. Hyungwon wept, cursing the universe for doing this to you, for taking you away. 

When he finally began to calm down and open his eyes, he fainted. In the seconds before he lost consciousness, all he saw was black and white. The world had lost its color.


	20. Need U

You tried to keep track of how many days had passed after the eighteenth or twentieth day. You weren’t entirely sure, everything just started to blend in. Sometimes you couldn’t tell if you had passed out or if you had been sleeping. 

You started to not care if the meat was uncooked, or if the bread was stale and moldy. You gulped the water when it was given to you, despite the dirt in it. It wasn’t healthy, and it was beginning to take its toll on your body, but it was keeping you alive, if only barely. 

By now, you had given up all hopes that someone would come for you. You had accepted that you’d die in the rotten cell, by the hands of your brother and Youngjae. Your heart ached at the thought of Hyungwon. Surely he’d be suffering because of you. You only had six months together. Six beautiful, spectacular months.

You hated to leave him after such a short time, especially just after completing your bond. It hurt to think about. You ran out of tears a long time ago, ever since you busted your head open the night of the thunderstorm. Your head has been foggy ever since. Your body was trying to heal you, but you didn’t have the proper nutrients for it to function.

You befriended the rat, occasionally giving it your crumbs. In return for your generosity, the rat wouldn’t bite you. The cockroach from before had died. It’s body lay in the middle of the cell, unmoving. You would be that way soon; you could feel your body giving up its fight.

The door to your cell opened and in came the person you referred to as your undertaker. He came and unshackled you, hoisting you up onto your feet. He dragged you out of the cell, taking you to the white room. 

You despised this room. Everything about it was a bright white. The walls, the table, the blinding light. This is where you saw your brother. The last time you were here, he put you with a dozen tarantulas. You were strapped to the table while they crawled over you bare body, their hairy legs feeling your skin. 

One of them almost bit you, because you were moving too much; it would have too if your brother didn’t come back then. You wondered what you’d be put through this time; would it be more bugs, waterboarding, or something new? Would it finally put you out of your misery?

The undertaker strapped you to the table, then left the room. You counted the seconds it took for your brother to come into the room. Thirty-eight seconds, that’s how long it took.

“Hello sister.” He smiled devilishly, rubbing his hands together. “I think you’ll quite like today’s torture. I might record it and send it to H.One. What do you think about that? Should I do it?”

You chose to stay silent. You learned in the early days that silence was the best answer you could give. 

“You have no opinion? Well, then I guess I will send him a video of his love in pain. Ooh that would be fun. I’ll even tip dad off, tell him H.One’s the one behind your disappearance. Father is awfully worried about you, you know? Mother too. Well, I’ll leave you alone now. Have fun~!”

You took a deep breath, bracing yourself for whatever he was going to do to you. The bright light above you shut off, leaving the room in a pitch black darkness, save for the blinking red light in the corner. 

Within seconds, all hell broke loose. Water began to pour on you, harshly falling like it was rain in a storm. It stung as it hit your body, and the open wounds you had burned from the contact with water. A loud clap of thunder sounded throughout the room. It was then that you realized what your brother was doing. He was simulating a thunderstorm. 

You screamed as loud as you could when you saw the first flash. You tried to break free of the bonds holding you captive, but you were too weak. You weren’t able to tell if it was the water you were choking on, or your sobs, but you couldn’t breathe. It was impossible to get a sufficient amount of air in your lungs, to move. 

You called for help, begging for somebody to save you from this torment. It didn’t matter who. It could be Youngjae, or YG, or your brother. You just needed someone to stop this all. Where was Hyungwon? Why hasn’t he come for you yet? Was he even looking for you? You cried out for the one man you thought could help you.

You wanted to believe that he’d hear you, that any second this would stop and Hyungwon would be saving you. Except, you knew that wouldn’t happen. You knew that you’d have to suffer the entire simulation, that this wouldn’t be the last day you dealt with this. Hyungwon wasn’t coming, even if you wanted him to.

The air around you began to buzz, and you could’ve sworn the water was starting to fall harder. On the walls were images of lightning flashing in sync with the lights. You knew it was fake, but that didn’t stop you from having a panic attack. 

It felt like hours before it finally ended, and for all you knew it was longer. When the water finally halted, your skin tingled as it started to get feeling back. You were freezing your ass off. Maybe you’d contract pneumonia and die. That didn’t sound so bad. If you died, then no one would be burdened.

Your skin was pruny; you felt like you had shriveled up. The undertaker came in and wordlessly undid the straps keeping you to the table. You had a hard time walking, because you were too petrified, and you felt like you had the weight of a thousand bricks on you. On the way back to the cell, you cut your feet on small, sharp rocks. The undertaker shoved you to the ground as he chained you back up to the wall. It wasn’t like you needed to be shackled at this point. You weren’t dumb enough to try and escape, nor could you even attempt to in your condition.

You huddled in the corner, hugging your knees to your chest. Your whole body shook from the cold. You were wearing the same bra and underwear you had on when you first got there. Holes were beginning to form in the little cloth you had covering you. Something told you that you’d never see a fresh clothes again. 

The rat came towards you, but you paid no attention to it. It squeaked as it sniffed your feet, running away after a second. Even the rat didn’t want to be around you. Honestly you couldn’t blame the creature, you wouldn’t want to be around yourself either. You were sleep deprived, dehydrated, starving. You had cuts and bruises all over your body, and when one healed, two more popped up. It was like your body was made of Hydras. 

You didn’t see anyone for days after the last torture session. You weren’t sure how long it really was, could’ve been a week, or it could’ve been a month. It didn’t matter. You were delusional now anyways. You’d talk to yourself, sputtering nothing but gibberish and laugh at nothing. Your ribs were showing now, but there was nothing you could do about that. 

For the past couple days, you’ve been coughing and throwing up blood. In the corner was a pile of your vomit, covered in flies and maggots. You were covered in your own bodily fluids, both from accidentally rolling in it and from losing control of the contents of your stomach before you could get into the proper position. Death was coming for you soon, you could feel it. 

You mourned for Hyungwon. He would lose you soon, and surely he would blame himself. It was a shame, because since you had completed your bond, there’d be no one who could comfort him. You’d leave a hole that could never be filled. You didn’t want to do that to him, but you had no choice. 

Every so often you’d feel emotions that weren’t yours. Usually it consisted of worry, or pain. It was never happiness. When you felt those emotions, ghost pains accompanied them, particularly a throb in your arm. They were coming from Hyungwon, but you couldn’t register it. When YG came to visit you, he saw the open wound on your head, and immediately ordered for you to get treated for it. 

Maybe it was because he knew that you were the soulmate of his enemy, and that keeping you alive for as long as possible would be the only way to keep the world intact that he did that. You weren’t sure. But you appreciated not having to worry about the infection, and your body’s inability to heal it. You couldn’t be sure, but you thought it was almost healed now. That was the least of your worries though. You couldn’t be sure, but you thought you had finally contracted pneumonia. This would be your way out. 

You accidentally killed the rat. You had picked it up, and then it slipped out of your hands, landing on its neck the wrong way. When it died, you cried. You had been so attached to the rat, it was your only mammalian company. Now all you had was the occasional spider and cockroach to keep you relatively sane.

The only indicator that days had passed was the light shining through the small window. The bars made it impossible to get out, not even the rat, when it was alive, could fit through them. Not that you’d ever try. You were too short to reach it anyways.

Youngjae was the next person you saw. He came to visit your cell to belittle you. “Good morning y/n, I see you’re still vulnerable as ever. You look so cute all broken like that. I think I might kill you soon.” He got on his knees in front of you, eyes trailing up and down your body. 

“Or not. I don’t know, I still haven’t made up my mind. I don’t want to be too merciful. That is, unless you want to talk to me and be mine. Then this could all stop.” 

You stared at him, eyes full of emptiness. His words completely went over your head. They went in one ear and out the other, leaving no influential mark on you.

“Alright. It’s a shame you’re doing this. You could live a much better life with me than you ever could with H.One. He’s not your soulmate. I don’t care what Brutus says, I’m your soulmate. Not that bastard.”

His words hit you for the first time. Hyungwon was your soulmate. Youngjae was not. You didn’t care what he said, nothing would ever make you forget Hyungwon, nothing would ever make you betray him. Life with Hyungwon could never compare to anything else. Those six months with him had been the best of his life.

“So, what do you say?” He asked, forcing you to look at him. He waited a minute for your answer, and when you gave none, he smacked your cheek with the palm of his hand, shouting “You bitch!”

He stood and stormed out of your cell. You knew you’d be paying for this. Sure enough, the undertaker came for you moments later.

As you were being strapped to the table, something shook the room. You could hear shouting as explosions went off and alarms began to blare, but you were too dazed to really register something was happening. Spots started to cloud your vision, and you found that the world around you was gradually growing darker. You paid no mind as the undertaker strapped you in then ran out of the room to see what was going on. 

You began to smell smoke; there was a fire somewhere. You started feeling like you were ready to let go. The door burst open, and someone came running into the room. Except you were too far gone to recognize who it was; it was most likely Jinho coming in to move you. 

At least, in the end, Heaven granted you a final wish: to see Hyungwon, even if it was a hallucination, one last time. Your eyes slowly closed as you lost consciousness for what you were sure to be your last time.


	21. Blue Moon

Hyungwon’s been on edge ever since he could only see black and white. The colors have come back since then, so he knew you weren’t dead. But with every passing day the colors became darker, more dull, and he was in constant pain. The throbbing never stopped, it only grew exponentially worse. 

He had a lead, finally. It only took three months, but Changkyun was able to locate where Youngjae sent all those texts to you. He and a band of fifteen people were on the way there. Maybe they could find something more. It was unlikely they’d find you, but if they found another lead they’d be one step closer. 

The men they had captured wouldn’t talk, and when they did, they had no idea what they were saying. Most were driven mad and killed, completely useless to the cause. It came as no surprise really, because these were men who had been captured before the kidnapping took place. YG stopped trying to stir trouble the day he took you.

Jooheon’s men weren’t very successful either. It was like he said, they all died. It didn’t take long for them to be caught, something to be expected from amateurs desperate for money. The money loss wasn’t a big deal, because Jooheon got most of it back within a week after their death. It was interesting, their deaths. YG had the audacity to send their bodies back with a note. It was always something like ‘Quit trying to stir trouble’ or ‘Look how bad your men are’ and ‘I don’t have what you think I have.’ It was all bullshit. 

He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a normal house in a normal neighborhood. It seemed too innocent for the sins that were committed. 

The three vans carrying everyone stopped in front of the house, and everyone piled out onto the street. It was the dead of night, and since no one was awake to see them, they didn’t care how messy they currently were. The only thing they might have had trouble with was the CCTV, but Changkyun would take care of that. 

Hyungwon led the group, wasting no time in picking the lock of the front door. Once it was open, he signalled for half the men to stay with him, while the other half follow Shownu to the back.

He entered the house, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He was disappointed it was so normal. There had to be a basement, or an attic, or a secret room that had something in it. Two of his men began rummaging through the living room, while another went to let in the other half. He took the remaining three upstairs, letting them branch off into separate rooms. 

He was just entering the master bedroom when Changkyun spoke in his earpiece, “Boss we’ve got trouble. The NIS is coming down the street.”

“Fuck,” Hyungwon cursed, immediately leaving the room. “It doesn’t happen to be our guys, does it?” He asked, hoping that on the off chance it was. He rounded up his men, getting them all to gather in the living room. 

“No. It’s Red Rose’s dad.” Changkyun mumbled. 

Hyungwon was about to lead them out through the back, but the front door burst open and in came Hyungwon’s only lawful enemy. 

It took two seconds for the detective inspector to recognize who was in the room, and another second to command arrests. He walked up to Hyungwon, pointing his finger. “I’ve been chasing you for years, and of course I find you here.” He ground out. 

Hyungwon didn’t say anything. In fact, he was waiting to be arrested, so he could play his trump card. 

“Of course, this is where texts from my daughters stalker originated from too. I should’ve known it was you. It makes sense that you’d take her from me.” Your father accused, taking handcuffs out of his pocket. “Don’t think I haven’t seen you around her neighborhood. I’ve reviewed all the CCTV videos leading up to her disappearance, you’ve been there.”

Hyungwon had to laugh at his accusations. To him, they were so ridiculous because he knew the truth. He knew what he was doing in your neighborhood, and not once was he there to hurt you. It would seem your father was blinded by his passion to enforce the law to realize that. “How’d you find this place?” He questioned, deciding to play guilty a little longer. 

“What? Did you think your texts would be untraceable?” Your father mocked. 

“Yes. In fact, I know they’re untraceable.” He replied, rolling his eyes. 

“Clearly they weren’t.”

“Clearly they still are. What? Do you think I’m Youngjae?” He chuckled, shaking his head. 

Your father pushed him into the wall and put his hands behind his back, putting the cuffs on him. 

“Evidence shows you are.” 

“There is no evidence showing who I am. Although, there is a copious amount of evidence pointing to your daughter being my soulmate.” Hyungwon replied nonchalantly. 

“Bullshit.” The detective replied, “Don’t think that for one second I’ll believe you.”

“If you arrest me, you won’t find her alive.” Hyungwon warned, “She’s dying, at this very second, and if you lock me up, I won’t be able to find her in time.” His voice cracked at the end. The thought of you dying...no, he wouldn’t let himself think like that. He’d get to you. He still had time.

“Give up your attempts to trick me now. You don’t want me to add to your slew of charges.” Your dad spat, pulling Hyungwon off the wall and pushing him toward the door. “And for the record, she would’ve told us if she’s met her soulmate. When I last talked to her, she was upset because she hadn’t.”

Hyungwon through his head back in laughter, though there was no humor in it. “She didn’t tell you beca-” He stopped mid sentence, his knees buckling beneath him as his entire convulsed. The pain in his arm magnified, spreading throughout his entire body. His head throbbed while his limbs cramped. Shownu broke free of the grasp the agent had on him, one wrist cuffed while the other remained free. He ran in front of Hyungwon, blocking him from everyone’s view.

“They’re torturing her right now.” Shownu met your father’s eyes, “When he opens his eyes again, the world will be darker, and Red Rose will be one step closer to death.”

Hyungwon whimpered on the floor, unable to curl up or do anything to attempt to alleviate the pain. He was a pathetic sight to behold. Here he was, a strong leader of the mafia, on the floor crying from a pain that no one could understand. 

It could’ve been funny, had the situation not been so dire. He was a powerful man -someone who didn’t let anything ruin him. That is, until he met you. You were his kryptonite; the one thing in the world that could completely destroy him. To the world, he was callous. He was cold and ruthless, incapable of showing emotions (with the exception of malice). But to you, he was soft. He was gentle and nurturing. He was able to communicate his feelings and show just how much he loved you. 

“Okay, maybe he is missing his soulmate, but it ain’t my daughter,” Your father clearly did not want to accept that he really was your soulmate. He watched as Shownu reached into Hyungwon’s pocket, taking out his cell phone. “The universe wouldn’t pair my angel with such a monster, with-”

His voice cut off when Shownu showed him Hyungwon’s lockscreen, a picture of you smiling freely as you stared up at the night sky. Shownu then unlocked the phone, and showed what the home screen was, a picture of you and him sharing a kiss. There was no denying it now. No doubt he was your soulmate, and any argument that Hyungwon didn’t love you was quickly demolished.

“You mean to tell me, that he is like that, because something is happening to my daughter? Right now?” It seemed as though your father had the wind knocked out of him.

“Yes, and H.One is the only one capable of saving her.” Shownu pocketed his friend’s phone, 

“What makes him the only one capable?”

“They’re bonded. It’s as simple as that.”

Hyungwon stopped his wriggling, breathing heavily. He was terrified he’d open his eyes and see black and white. Deep down, he knew he wouldn’t, because there was still a great amount of pain in his arm, but the prospect of not seeing colors kept him from coming back into the world. 

He felt himself being freed of handcuffs and sighed in relief. It was about time. He knew he had to get up now, so he slowly stood up and chanced opening his eyes. It was dark enough in the house that he couldn’t tell if there was a change in the colors or not. He was grateful for that.

“I want you to know,” Your father started, “that if it wasn’t for my daughter, you’d be dead right now.”

“I would’ve already been dead by now if it weren’t for her.” Hyungwon replied breathlessly, wiping sweat off his brow.

“We’ll need to work together on this, so in the meantime, you can refer to me as J.” Your dad held his hand out to Hyungwon.

He grasped it firmly and shook it, “I’m sure you already know, but H.One.”

This night marked an alliance, however temporary, between the two of them. Their goal was to find you, alive preferably. Together they would get closer.

A week later, Wonho came home with a package for Hyungwon.

“Hey Boss!” He called out as he walked through the front door, “You got a package! Don’t worry, I already checked if it was poisoned, or if it was an explosive.”

Hyungwon came down the stairs, confusion written all over him. “Where’d you get it?” He asked, coming to take the package out of his friend’s hands.

“Someone left it at the bar in one of the clubs.” He answered, “Don’t worry, we’re already checking the security footage to see who it was.” 

“How strange…” He had a bad feeling about whatever was in this package. It didn’t seem heavy, in fact it was very lightweight, especially for the size of the box. He gently shook the box, listening to hear the contents move around. It didn’t sound terribly fragile. “I’ll open this, then let you all know what it is. Something tells me I’ll need to be alone for this.” Wonho nodded, clapping his friend on the back before walking towards the kitchen.

Hyungwon stared at the package as he walked back upstairs to his room. The only lettering on it was his code name. There was no return address, no hint as to who it was from. Once in his room, he shut the door and went about trying to find something to open the box with. He ended up finding a set of keys to use to open the package. 

He took a deep breath before slowly running the key along the tape. Dread filled his stomach as the tape ripped open. Inside was a CD, sitting in the bottom left corner. He took the disk out and looked at it. Written on the disk was a date, 20180705. That was a month ago...now Hyungwon was even more hesitant to see the contents.

Still, he pulled out his laptop and slid the disk into the DVD player. It took a second for the computer to read and load the contents. Before he pressed play, he took a deep breath to prepare himself for what was on the CD. When he let the video play, his nightmares came true. 

There you were, nearly naked and strapped to a table, screaming and crying. You looked so pale, so skinny, so disregarded. Even in the dim lighting he could tell you had been beaten, that you were suffering. What made it all worse was that they were using your fear of thunderstorms against you.

He watched, stunned, as you flinched and panicked at every crash of thunder, every flash of light. He ached to reach through the screen and hold onto you, to whisper reassurances and sing you songs, to rock you in his arms and kiss you so you could forget the world around you. His heart constricted, his breaths becoming shallow; he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see.

The video was two and a half hours long...they made you suffer for two and a half hours. Were they at least providing you proper medical care? Surely after being exposed to so much water nonstop you’d be susceptible to many diseases. They were caring for you. They had to be. Deep down, though, he knew that wasn’t the case. He knew they were neglecting your health. That’s why you were so skinny, why he could barely tell the difference between colors now. He had to get to you. He had to find you now. He couldn’t waste anymore time.

He slammed the laptop shut, throwing it across the room. He heard something crack, but that was the last thing on his list of concerns. He stormed out of his room, and began to form a plan. He’ll find you. Watch.


	22. Fighter

Hyungwon couldn’t sleep for days after watching the video of you being tortured. Every time he closed his eyes he could see you laying there, helpless and screaming for him. He told everyone a very brief summarization of the package, and if they asked to see the video, Hyungwon told them no. They didn’t need to see you like that. 

He was currently on his way to an abandoned warehouse to meet with your father. He needed to know about the video, and obtain the flash drive that had the footage of the person dropping the package off. Hyungwon was doing this alone, after all it was only his father in law. He knew nothing would happen to him for the simple fact that your life depended on his.

He reached the warehouse before J did, giving him enough time to calm down and practice how he’d react to things his new partner did. He was exhausted, but he refused to sleep until he found you. How could he waste time being unconscious when you were dying?

He was interrupted from his thoughts by someone coming into the large room. He looked up and saw J striding towards him. “What news have you heard?” 

“I almost wish I didn’t hear anything.” Hyungwon replied, opening his laptop. “I got a CD from someone, and on that CD-” 

“What was on the CD?” J probed when Hyungwon didn’t continue.

He took a deep, shaky breath, pushing the image of you out of his head. “On that CD, was a video of Y/n being tortured…”

“Let me see it.” J demanded immediately, not waiting for Hyungwon to continue. 

“No.” Hyungwon replied sternly, daring J to challen him.

“Why not? It’s my daughter we’re talking about. I have every right to watch that video. Hell, I have more authority over this matter than you do!” He cried.

“No,” Hyungwon repeated, “the only reason that video isn’t destroyed is because we may need it for something later. It is not something you, as her father and as a human being should watch.”

“What makes you think you’re the only one who can watch it?”

“I can’t watch it. I’m sparing you the suffering that video will cause.”

“I still don’t see why I can’t watch it.”

“Because!” Hyungwon had finally lost it. “You don’t understand! That video, that video will _destroy_ you! It’s two and a half hour of being tortured! TORTURED! Not only that, they do it in a way that has no doubt caused some serious psychological damage. Are you really sure you want to watch your daughter, who’s been beaten, deprived of basic human needs, be tortured? Because I can sure as hell tell you, you will never, _never_ forget what that looks like.” 

You father was flabbergasted, unable to come up with a reply, so Hyungwon continued, more calmly this time. The energy drained from his body as he slumped in his seat.

“She calls my name two hundred and thirty-eight times, begs for me to come get her. I won’t ever be able to forget how broken she sounded, how hopeless she was. I will never unsee her injuries, her transparent skin, her skin barely clinging to her bones. Please, trust me when I say you do not want to watch the video.”

The other man didn’t say a word. In fact, he almost looked as if he’d been chastised. “So then, what do you want me to do?” He finally asked. 

“I want you to find this person.” He replied, flopping the laptop around so J could see the screen. On it was a person in all black, face covered by a face mask. “This is the person who gave us the video.”

“And you don’t know who he is? I thought you knew all your enemies.” J laughed at him, clearly amused by the fact that he didn’t know everything. 

“I’ve never known all my enemies. But, I can tell when they’re part of YG’s group, and this guy is working for YG.” Hyungwon rolled his eyes. He was tired of having to put up with this shit, tired of not having you, tired of everything. He took the flash drive out of his laptop and handed it over to J, who took it cautiously. 

“So then we’re done here?” He asked, looking at the item in his hand skeptically. 

“Yeah. That’s all I really wanted to give you.” Hyungwon replied, standing up. 

“Wait, I wanted to ask you something.” J stopped him, standing up.

Hyungwon looked at the man expectantly, waiting for him to continue. “If you’re the oh so great leader of the mafia, why’d you let my daughter get kidnapped?” He asked finally. 

Hyungwon felt like he had been punched in the gut, the air knocked out of him. “I-” He didn’t know what to say. He had no excuse. This was all on him; it was his fault you were gone. “I-” he tried again, but the words got caught in his throat. He looked at your father, who was staring at him intensely, waiting for an answer. “I was away…” He whispered. “I had a meeting, and I was away, and my men...they…” He ran a hand through his hair. “They were bribed by YG…” He hung his head, ashamed. 

J slapped him. He didn’t react, because he knew he deserved it; he deserved worse. “You mean to tell me, Y/n was kidnapped because your men were bribed? Where are they now?” It was an angry calm, the kind of calm that, had Hyungwon not been so familiar with the kind of tone, would have had him shaking.

“They’re dead.” Hyungwon replied emotionlessly. “I killed them.”

“You just admitted to a crime.” J pointed out.

“I’m a mafia boss, I won’t hide who I am and act ashamed of my crimes.” He replied. “Now, I think we’re done here.” He walked away, not waiting to hear anything else from your father. He didn’t need another reminder that he was the reason for your disappearance. 

He got out to the car and just sat in the driver’s seat. His mind was racing. All he could think about was how if he hadn’t gone to that meeting, you would be with him now. You would be healthy and happy and without pain. 

He hit the steering wheel, honking the horn in the process. He screamed out his frustration, gripping the wheel and letting his head fall onto it. Tears began to spill down his cheeks. 

He saw the disdain in your father’s eyes, the pure disgust. It was evident that he’d never be on your father’s good side, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be safe after they got you back. Could J overlook Hyungwon’s occupation? 

It took Hyungwon a couple minutes to calm down, to reassure himself that he’d get you back soon. He couldn’t lose himself before then. He couldn’t get distracted. He wouldn’t let anyone stop him from getting to you. 

Hyungwon got home and tried to sleep. He really did try, because he knew he needed to recharge, but his mind wouldn’t let him. The second he reached the REM stage, he’d wake up gasping. His subconscious enjoyed making up scenarios of you being tortured and then playing them to him. 

Every time, he’d reach out to the other side of the bed in hopes of finding you there. And every time he’d be distressed because you weren’t there, and he didn’t know if what happened in his dreams happened to you in real life.

In the end, he gave up trying to sleep. He just sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees and head in his hands, pulling at his hair. He tried to think of anything that could help him locate you, but he couldn’t concentrate. Not that he hasn’t already tried everything anyways. 

It took a couple weeks, but Hyungwon and your father were able to locate the man who left the video of you being tortured. It was agonizing, thinking he found the guy only for it to not be him.

Hyungwon took the lead in tracking this guy. He didn’t want to get your dad involved with mafia related business unless it was absolutely necessary. The less he knew, the better it was for everyone. The last thing they needed was for him to see something and then immediately arrest them after they got you.

The man Hyungwon was watching seemed ordinary at first, but then at night, he’d go to various places for strange reasons. He seemed to be the deliverer for YG, always going to sketchy places with a package or two in his hands, leaving with nothing ninety percent of the time. 

There was one place this guy seemed to frequent the most, a warehouse just on the outskirts of the city. If Hyungwon had to guess, it was YG’s main headquarters. The one time he got really close, he felt something try to pull him in, some kind of invisible magnetic force. It took all the willpower he could muster to not go bursting into the building. He didn’t have any backup, and he wasn’t about to risk everything because he was being summoned to the warehouse. Since then, he hasn’t gotten close to the site, fearful that he wouldn’t have the self control to stop himself.

He knew, deep down, that that was where you were. Somewhere near that area, you were being held. He needed to prepare his best men and get them ready to infiltrate the warehouse. The sooner they were ready, the better.

It was almost a miracle that whoever recorded the video of you being tortured sent it to him. They made the mistake of leaving it in a place with security cameras in every corner, and a gazillion witnesses. Okay, so, maybe a gazillion is an exaggeration, but the point still stands. 

Shownu was in charge of making sure everyone was in top shape in terms of hand to hand combat. Changkyun was preparing the technology they’d need in order to get in and out in a timely manner. Kihyun was working on getting explosives, while Wonho and Minhyuk cleaned the the guns and prepared them for use. Jooheon helped Hyungwon keep an eye on the man they were tracking, and make sure nothing severely changed.

He was coming for you. He’d see you soon. He couldn’t wait any longer, especially since he knew you were on the brink of death. His body was yelling at him, punishing him for letting you be in such a perilous situation. The colors in the world had no variation, and everything was just dull. Occasionally, he’d see black and white then blink and some color would be back. He had to rescue you soon. 

When the day came, and everyone was prepared, Hyungwon was the first to wreak havoc, and officially start the war between him and YG.


	23. Hero

It was easy getting into the building. YG didn’t have the best security system; Changkyun was able to bypass the system in less than ten minutes. Hyungwon snuck in through a window, five of his men following, while the rest all found other places to attack from. It was amazing how little personnel were there keeping watch. Hyungwon never left his facilities this bare. It was no wonder why he had the better reputation.

The first person Hyungwon encountered, he shot in the head. He didn’t spare the guy a glance as he stepped over the dead body. His men dispersed, Shownu with him to act as a sort of bodyguard. The two men moved swiftly, navigating their way through the corridors.

Alarms began to blare as the explosives were detonated. It was no longer a secret that they were there. Men ran through the hallways, shouting orders to one another as they tried to fight back.  
One man pointed a gun at Hyungwon, but was too slow. He died of multiple shot wounds to the chest. Another man caught Hyungwon off guard,as he had turned the corner, and managed to knick his side with a knife. In retaliation, Shownu snapped his neck. 

In his earpiece, Kihyun was keeping everyone aware of what was going on. “We’ve lost Wild Dog and SK. H.One, find a set of stairs and go down. We have reason to believe Red Rose is being kept underground. Got that?”

“I’m heading down now.” He replied, turning around and going back down the corridor to where he last saw a staircase. He signalled for Shownu to stay above ground and guard the staircase. Smoke wafted through the air as flames began to spread around the building. Hyungwon stumbled down the stairs, moving as quickly as his legs would let him. 

He flew down the corridors, trusting his gut to take him to you. He rounded the corner, immediately being greeted with Youngjae holding up a gun. “Don’t you dare come closer.” He threatened.

Hyungwon paused, assessing the situation. Behind Youngjae was a door, and you were most probably behind that door. There wasn’t another way to get around Youngjae; this was the only corridor, and it was narrow. Youngjae was his only obstacle. 

“You took my soulmate from me.” Hyungwon was eerily calm as he spoke.

“What do you mean your soulmate?” Youngjae tilted his head to the side, “She’s mine. Always has been, always will be.”

“Don’t you know it’s dangerous to kidnap the soulmate of someone with great power?” Hyungwon chastised.

“I didn’t kidnap anyone. I took what’s rightfully mine.”

“If you cared about her, she wouldn’t be on the brink of death right now.” 

“No, she’s on the brink of death because I care about her.”

“I fail to see how that works.” 

“You see, she would constantly refuse me. So, to help her see the truth, and to prevent her from thinking she could get away with choosing who she wants to be with, I’ve shown her who’s the boss.”

“You bastard.” Hyungwon ground out. The smoke was getting heavier, soon it’d become too thick to breathe. He needed to get you out of there. 

He raised his gun to Youngjae’s chest and began to fire as he moved closer. He used up the rest of the bullets in his magazine on Youngjae. This wasn’t how he wanted to kill him; he wanted it to be slow and painful, but he didn’t have time for that.

Youngjae was able to shoot Hyungwon in the shoulder before he crashed to the ground. He kicked the dead body as he bolted towards the room. His shoulder stung, but he could barely register it through the adrenaline running in his veins.

He burst into the room, instantly seeing you strapped to the table and about to pass out. He took out his hunting knife, cutting the leather straps keeping you bound. 

“I’ve got Red Rose, prepare to fall out.” H.One announced over the radio. “Bunny, the second I get out there, be ready to step on the gas and take us to the hospital.”

When you were free of your shackles, he gathered you up in his arms and dashed out of the room. Flames had made their way to this part of the building and were eating the stairs and all the dead bodies that covered them. It seemed Shownu was kept busy while Hyungwon was gone. Still, it didn’t deter Hyungwon as he cautiously maneuvered the stairs. He was far too concerned about you barely clinging to life to care about whether he got singed by the fire.

Shownu met Hyungwon’s eye and nodded, answering his silent question. He was barely scratched, perfectly capable of defending the two of you as you made your escape.

The most challenging part of getting out was avoiding the fire. There were quite a few close calls, but everyone was able to make it out. The fresh air was cleansing, but no one had the time to catch their breath. Shots were fired at Hyungwon’s men as they all left the building. Some made it unscathed, other’s were left to die. 

The door to the car was already open, waiting for Hyungwon and Shownu. The two didn’t even have their doors closed before Wonho floored it, leaving tire marks on the concrete. “Wonho, I need you to go as fast as you possibly can.” Hyungwon urged, “I’m having a hard time finding a pulse.”

He stared down at you, unable to believe that your condition had gotten worse. He couldn’t take his eyes away from you; you were riddled in cuts and bruises, painted with blood and vomit. Your hair was a hopeless cause, the rats nest being so profound. It was obvious that you weren’t given anything to control your periods, that you hadn’t had a change in clothes in months. You were completely stripped of everything.

He held you close to his chest, your head resting on his shoulder. You were so light, so weightless. He hated that he could see the outline of your bones, that your skin was translucent. You were so underweight; it was scary. 

Hyungwon had completely forgotten about his own wounds until he saw a drop of his blood fall onto your stomach. He cursed under his breath, glancing down at his shoulder. He could make it to the hospital, the bullet wound was hardly anything. 

Wonho came to an abrupt halt just outside the hospital emergency room. “K boss, we’re-” Hyungwon never heard the end of the sentence because he was already running inside. 

He glanced around the room in a panic, looking for anyone that could help. He made eye contact with a nurse and ran towards her. “Please,” he begged, “she’s dying and I-“ 

“It will be alright sir. I need a stretcher!” She called out to no one in particular, but within seconds someone was bringing one out. 

He gently laid you down, watching as the second he let go of you you were being rushed off behind the double doors. For the first time in months, the pain in his body began to lessen as you were finally out of Hell and into recovery. He just hoped the doctors would be able to save you. 

“Sir?” Another nurse tapped him on the shoulder, “I couldn’t help but notice your shoulder is bleeding. Let’s get that taken care of. You can fill out the paperwork for yourself and the girl you brought in later.” She guided Hyungwon through the same double doors they took you through.

They quickly went through checking his vitals, finding everything to be relatively normal considering he had been shot. After vitals they took him into a room when he waited for the doctor to come in.

He didn’t like that he was a patient in the hospital; it didn’t sit well with him. He’d have to give information he couldn’t. The only reason he was here was because he knew he wouldn’t be able to properly care for you himself. Hopefully, Wonho or Kihyun could take care of that for him, because he really didn’t want to do that. Not to mention he didn’t have the strength to make anything up.

His thoughts drifted to you. He wondered what the doctors were doing to help you, to save you. Nothing was significantly changing; the colors were all the same dull blur, the throbbing in his arm still excruciating despite having gone down. He was terrified that something would happen to you, and he wouldn’t be there to stop it.

The door opening interrupted his rising anxiety. In came a woman in a white coat, presumably the doctor. She shut the door, not sparing him a glance as she went to the cupboards to take out supplies. “So, a bullet wound to the shoulder?” She questioned. 

“I was protecting my soulmate.” He replied, bending the truth. 

The doctor merely nodded, laying out supplies on the counter. “Do you care to make a statement?”

“No.” He replied smoothly. That was the last things he wanted to do. 

His eyes followed her every move, watching as she put gloves on and picked up the pair of forceps. “Alright, this’ll hurt. Would you like to bite down on some cotton?”

“No, I can handle it.” He was skeptical of the woman. He didn’t have any reason to be except that he didn’t exactly trust hospitals. 

She gave him a weird look, but didn’t say anything. The bullet didn’t go in deep, so it came out with no trouble at all. It hurt, sure, but the pain he had been in in the past few months was less bearable. 

The doctor cleansed the wound and stitched it up. Hyungwon barely flinched as she worked, his mind elsewhere. His body didn’t react to the needle going in and out as stitches were being made. He only needed a couple, so it really wasn’t a big deal. 

After awhile, the doctor finished stitching him up, beginning to clean the mess. “Well, you’re all set to go.” She announced, “You can check out at the front desk. Don’t do any heavy lifting and come back in a week to check on the wound.”

“Okay.” Hyungwon left immediately. He went to the front desk, but only to ask about you. The assistant in front of the computers said it would be awhile before anyone could see you as they were still cleaning and taking care of all the lacerations on your body. 

Kihyun came up to him then, putting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him towards the waiting area before he could cause a scene. His entire body ached with the need to see you, to hold you. The main cause of his distress were the doctors currently preventing him from getting to you. 

He waited impatiently, trying his best to remain civilized in the waiting room. Wonho, Kihyun, Jooheon, and every one we’re all there to help keep him grounded. No one suggested calling your father, knowing that the first one to see you, to _really_ see you, had to be Hyungwon. They also weren’t sure what would happen to all of them once J found out you had been rescued, so they opted to postpone spreading the information. 

Two hours later, the nurse who helped Hyungwon earlier came up to him, “Sir,” she said, “you can see your soulmate now.”

Hyungwon was up in a flash, “Where is she?” He asked, seemingly breathless. 

“Room 626, through the doors, take a left down the corridor, a right, and then you’re there.” She replied. 

Hyungwon was gone before she had time to finish her sentence, or explain what they found wrong with you. 

He burst into your room, immediately seeing your pale figure lying asleep on the bed. You had all sorts of machines hooked up to you, from the heart monitor to the IV to the ventilator machine. It was a hard sight to behold. You appeared dead, as though all the life had been completely sucked out of you. 

He quietly shut the door behind him, his legs carrying him to the chair beside your bed. He cautiously took your hand in his as he sat down. The relief he felt when he touched you was insurmountable. His body and soul knew that it was time to declare that everything would be okay, and released him from his suffering. 

He felt like he could finally breathe as the tension left his body. An invisible boulder was lifted off his shoulders, significantly lightening the weight of the world on his shoulders. The danger meter went down to virtually nothing, alleviating the painful throb. It was nearly blissful. The only thing he needed was for you to wake up. 

“Hi Baby,” he mumbled, “it’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” He held your hand with both of his, clinging onto this small part of you. 

“I’m sorry, Baby. I’m so so sorry…” he hung his head as he filled with shame, “I’m sorry I let you get taken. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you fast enough. I’m sorry.” He could feel the hot prickle of tears begin to build up behind his eyes. Though you couldn’t hear him, all he could do was apologize. “I wish I could’ve prevented this. My Darling…” he couldn’t continue. The tears came flowing down his face. 

He mourned for you, for himself, for the trouble your friends and family had to go through, the pain he put his followers through, for the time you lost together. Now that he had you, he let himself feel every emotion he kept pent up for the last five months.


	24. White Love

Bonds are a peculiar thing. They cannot disintegrate or crumble. They’re an indestructible force, and can last through time. They did more than defined the relationship; they healed, they restored, they preserved, they maintained. They were beautiful. 

Bonds come in three tiers. There’s the basic tier, which starts just after meeting and continues to grow until connection. In this tier, the bond is beginning to form. Generally, it takes a couple weeks to reach it, though it’s possible to take up to seven months to complete. 

The second tier, or the primary tier, happens when the bond is complete and fully formed at its most simple level. Most people reach this tier and never advance. It is reached after a month of connecting. Occasionally, it can take longer to reach its full potential. When this happens, the couple will most likely reach the third tier. 

The final tier, the exalted tier, was reached by few. Here, soulmates were, in a nearly literal sense, separate but one. They could tell how their partner was feeling emotionally and physically. Through their bond, they can heal one another. They can care for one another in ways that others cannot. If a bond reaches the exalted tier, it can never be replicated; it is unique to couple, and it will always have room to mature. 

Hyungwon and you have suffered more than the average person. Perhaps it was because he’s a mafia boss, or perhaps it was because you were at the right place, but in the wrong time. Whatever the cause, no one could deny that the odds were against you. However, the odds and evens weren’t as powerful as the universe. The universe decided in the beginning of time, that no matter what happened, soulmates would stick together, and those in the exalted tier would remain even after the universe died. 

If one soulmate died, the other half would follow soon, and together you would be reborn into the world, fated to find each other again. When one soulmate was severely injured, the other would give their strength so they could heal. That was only part of why Hyungwon refused to leave your side unless it was absolutely necessary. 

When night fell, and visiting hours were over, the nurses tried to urge him to leave and go home. He fought to stay with you, citing that he needed to be there for you to survive, and that you’d been separated for months. In the end, the nurses brought in a cot for him to sleep in, but he didn’t use it. Instead, he stayed in the chair beside your bed and held your hand. 

When he woke up, his head was beside your hand on the bed. His back ached from hours of being bent over with little support. To help ease the pain he stood and stretched out, only to sit back down in the chair. “Good morning, my Love.” He whispered, taking your hand and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it. 

He sighed, wondering when you’d wake up. You were always up before him, having been a conditioned early bird. It was strange waking up before you; he didn’t like it. He wanted the first thing he saw to be your beautiful smile. Maybe it was selfish of him, and maybe it wasn't, but he wanted to see you awake and lively. 

Visiting hours would be starting soon, and he was sure Kihyun or someone would be coming in with food. While he didn’t mind, he wanted to be alone with you. Though he knew that if his friends didn’t come, he wouldn’t take care of himself because he was too caught up in you. 

Sure enough, Kihyun came around noon, bringing a bag filled with food. “Hey man, I brought you some food.” He spoke with a quiet voice, “it’s nothing special, just some sandwiches and the like.” He put the bag on the table beside the bed. 

“Thank you.” Hyungwon modded, glancing at the blond. 

“Anything?” Kihyun asked, putting his hand on Hyungwon’s back. 

“No..we’re still waiting for her to wake up” he sighed. 

“Have you called her dad?”

“No.”

“You should.”

“I know. I just want some time with her.”

“Are you worried he’ll take her away from you?”

“Yes.”

Kihyun rubbed his back in small circles, “it’ll be okay. If he loves his daughter he wouldn’t do that.”

“I don’t know. I think he would.”

“Well, call him. He’d hate you less if you told him now rather than in three weeks.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“I often am.” 

“Only occasionally.”

“Rude. But I’ll let it slide this time. I’ll see you later.” He clapped his back then left the room. 

Hyungwon glances at the food, but made no move to get it. “My Dear, what do you think?” He asked, “do I call your dad first or do I eat?”

He stared at you, as if he was waiting for a response, but he knew he wouldn’t get any. He knew he should call J, that he should tell Sohyun too. Except, he really did not want to give up time with you, whether you were awake or asleep. Still, he had to do it. He supposed it was better to get it done and over with. He took his phone out of his pocket, and dialed your father first. 

It only rang three times before he picked up, “any new information?” He asked immediately. 

“More than that,” Hyungwon said, rubbing his thumb in small circles on your palm, “I’ve found her. I’ve got her.”

“What do you mean you’ve got her? Where did you find her? Are you saying you rescued her without telling me? How long have you known where she was at? When did you get her? Where are you right now? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” J pummelled him with questions. 

Hyungwon distracted himself with your hand, dread building up in his stomach. “I’ve known for a little while now...she was in the basement of one of YG’s warehouses.” He began to answer the questions truthfully. “I did rescue her without telling you, and I’m not sorry for that. I didn’t want her to come home and find out that her father died trying to save her. Yesterday we went in and rescued her. We’re at the hospital. You can come, but you’ll have to be careful, wear and medical mask and everything because she’s got pneumonia.”

“Fuck you. This is my daughter, and you’re only telling me now? You didn’t answer my last question, why didn’t you you tell me earlier?” The bite in his voice hurt, and Hyungwon knew he’d never be on good terms with your father.

“Because, I couldn’t let you interfere with the mission, and I’ll admit, I needed some time with her.” He spoke faintly, knowing full well that anything he said would only dig him deeper into the hole.

“You couldn’t let me interfere with the mission? And you needed time with my daughter? Are you serious right now?”

“Do you understand what it’s like to lose your soulmate and know that at any given second they could die? Do you know the constant, excruciating pain that comes with having your soulmate kidnapped? Could you even possibly begin to understand the feeling of having just completed the bonding process only to have someone take your partner because they can’t grasp the idea that they can’t have your soulmate?” Hyungwon was met with silence. “No? I didn’t think so. So yes, I wanted some time with Y/n, and the only reason I called was because you needed to know. If you’re going to come, she hasn’t woken up yet, so you can’t talk to her.” 

Hyungwon ended the phone call and sighed, slipping the phone back into his pocket. He’d call Sohyun later. For now, he was just going to concentrate on you. 

It was interesting. While the doctor’s told him that everyone would have to wear special clothes and masks to keep everything sanitary, he did not. In fact, they urged him to be around you as much as possible because he could help you recover quicker. There was also no concern about him contracting the disease because studies have proven that when soulmates heal each other, they are at no risk of contamination. 

Though really, Hyungwon didn’t need to be told that there were health benefits for him to stay with you. He’d remain by your side no matter what happened. Still, he wished you would wake up soon. He desperately missed you. He wanted to tell you everything that happened, how sorry he was, how he pulled every tooth and nail to get to you. 

He was in the middle of singing to you when a cough interrupted him. He turned his head and saw your father standing with his arms crossed, looking particularly unhappy. “If she’s sleeping, then why are you making so much noise?” He grumbled, walking to the foot of the hospital bed.

“Because I know she likes when I sing to her.” Hyungwon answered, looking down at your joined hands.

“I find that hard to believe.” J countered harshly. Hyungwon chose not to respond to him. 

“I want you to know,” J continued speaking, “that once she’s well, you need to leave. I won’t let a mafia boss be around my daughter. I don’t care if your soulmates, I care about my daughter’s safety. You, are a danger to her. You could be bonded on the exalted level, and I will still never recognize you as her soulmate. The only reason I haven’t arrested you yet is because of her. But know that the next time you do something, I’ll catch you and throw you in jail.”

His words cut like a knife. Hyungwon couldn’t believe that he was just told he could never see you again once you recovered. He would never listen to those orders. He’d find his ways to see you, to be with you. Nothing could stop him. 

“Do you really think you have the power to decide that?” He asked eerily calm.

“As her father, I reserve the right to have that kind of power.” J answered.

Hyungwon was getting furious, but he didn’t let it show. “No, you do not have that kind of power. The only person who gets a say in whether I have to leave Y/n is Y/n herself. You don’t have to like me, but you can’t be trying to keep me from Y/n. There’s a reason why she never told you she met me.”

“Are you telling me she knew about you being mafia?” J was having a harder time remaining stone faced, his emotions beginning to get the best of him.

“No, she didn’t explicitly know. Though I have a feeling she suspected something similar. She knows I’ve done some bad things. Hell, she’s even seen some of it.” Hyungwon played with your fingers, trying his best to stay collected.

“You mean to tell me you’ve committed crimes while she was in your presence?”

“The first time I didn’t know her. The next time it saved her life.”

“Get out.”

Hyungwon was taken back. Was he really being kicked out? It didn’t matter to him, he’d play it into his favor. “Okay. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.” As he stood up, he kissed the back of your hand. He slowly let go and walked out of the room.

He used this time to relax. He didn’t want to go back to your room with all this pent up anger. The last thing he wished for was to fight your father. He thought he’d be able to prove to him that he really did love you, but it seemed that no matter what he did, it’d only make things worse. 

He walked around the hospital garden, getting a much needed breath of fresh air. He also needed the exercise, since he’s been sitting in a chair for the last twenty-four hours. The exercise alleviated the cramps in his legs, and worked to destress him. 

When he came back to your room, he was ready to face any arguments with a level head. Your father had taken his seat and just stared at you. He didn’t flinch when Hyungwon announced his arrival, didn’t even acknowledge him. “Sir, it’s been twenty minutes.” Hyungwon reminded.

“Yeah, I don’t give a shit.” J responded. 

“Wouldn’t you want to go tell your wife that your daughter is safe?” He questioned.

“How can I when she’ll be with you?” J argued.

“I think by now it’s pretty safe that I won’t harm her in any way.” He defended. 

“Alright, fine. I’ll leave, but only to let you start preparing your goodbye.” J stood, glaring at Hyungwon as he left the room. 

He had a hard time grasping why it was so difficult for J to accept your connection. Nothing about it made sense. He didn’t dwell on it too long though, because he was soon fast asleep with his head by your hand. 

He woke with a jolt, the nightmare fresh behind his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, simultaneously squeezing your hand as if that would help block the images. He hated seeing you so desperate and alone. He could almost feel your suffering, and it pained him.

He took a moment to collect himself. Judging by the clock on the wall, it was almost 4am. He slept for over twelve hours; it was hard to tell if it was because he was drained of energy, or if it was because that’s just what he did. 

He sat there for what felt like hours, when suddenly you made a sound. You moved around the bed a bit, finally coming to life. He watched with bated breath as your eyes fluttered open. “Y/n.” He whispered reverently, standing so he could move closer. “Y/n my Love, you’re awake. You’re awake.” Tears fell down his cheeks in a steady stream as he kissed the palm of your hand, repeating “You’re awake.” over and over again.


	25. Crazy In Love

Your body felt heavy, like your blood was made of lead. You slipped in and out of consciousness, occasionally hearing Hyungwon talking to you. It was bittersweet, hearing him talk. It felt real, but it couldn’t be. 

Something was shoved down your throat, but you didn’t know what it was. There was a constant beeping noise, and quite frankly, it was getting annoying. You wanted it to shut up. You found it impossible to move, and if you thought about it for long enough, you’d start to freak out. You didn’t have to worry though, because most of the time you were completely knocked out. 

You weren’t sure how long you’d been virtually incapacitated, but it was a relief to open your eyes. You weren’t dead yet, so that was something. You wished you were though, because then you wouldn’t have to suffer any longer. 

“Y/n.” You turned your head as you heard your name be whispered. “Y/n my Love, you’re awake. You’re awake.” The man repeated again and again. Hyungwon, you realized. It was Hyungwon. Holy shit it was Hyungwon! He was crying. Why was he crying? Your first instinct was to comfort him, so you lifted your other hand and placed it on his cheek. It was kind of hard, maneuvering your arm around the IV line and working up the energy, but you were able to do it. 

He leaned into your touch, keeping your other hand in his grasp. It suddenly hit you that Hyungwon really was there, that you were safe, away from the bastards that took you. You didn’t care how you got there, you were just glad you were there. 

“The doctor’s are all out right now, it’s all nurses, but once they get in I’ll go get one.” He told you, moving a hand to your face. He gently pushed your hair out of your face. “My Love, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I let this happen.”

You tried to shake your head, to communicate that it wasn’t his fault. It was hard, because you couldn’t talk, and moving was difficult. You had no muscle, no energy. Just touching his cheek took a lot of effort. 

He touched your forehead, trailing his finger down to your jaw. His tender touch was enough to make you start crying. It’s been too long since you’ve had human contact, much less gentle contact. Hyungwon was quick to wipe your tears, his thumbs running underneath your eyes. “Shh..baby don’t cry.” He mumbled, “you’ll be okay. It’s okay.” He ran a hand through your hair, giving you a soft smile. “Should I sing to you?” 

You nodded as much as you could, which honestly wasn’t very much. It was more like a half nod, and you weren’t sure he could see it. Though, judging from the way his smile widened, he did. 

“I’m stupid, a fool who only knows you

I don’t know what to do

I don’t wanna say no more

I don’t know anything anymore

Just hold me and pull me on

Without you, I can’t see anything in this darkness

I love you, I love you more

I think I’m crazy

You know that I’m crazy

I don’t wanna be lost any more

You should go and grab me and take me

Take it, take all of me, take it

Everything baby you will gonna make it

When I dream, you’re always in front of me

Like a fool, I’m only thinking of you right now

I don’t care if you call me a fool

I don’t care if you call me crazy

I don’t need any pride

If it’s not you, I don’t want anyone else

Yes I’m in crazy love

Yes, I’m crazy for you

I can only see you

I’m crazy in love

If it’s you, I don’t care if I go crazy

All day, I’m only thinking about you

Because I’m crazy in love

Because I can’t, if it’s not you

I’m crazy in love

Yes I’m in crazy love

Because I’m crazy for you”

His fingers threaded through your hair as he sang. Something about his voice was so soothing. Maybe it was because you haven’t heard it in forever, but his voice was more elegant than you remembered. You were relaxed enough that you ended up falling back asleep.

When you woke, the first thing you noticed was that you no longer had something shoved down your throat, and that you could breathe on your own. The second thing you noticed was Hyungwon right beside you. When he noticed you were waking up, he jumped out of the chair and moved close to you. “I’m gonna get the doctor, I’ll be right back.” He took your hand and quickly placed a kiss on it before he left. 

He came back a couple minutes later with a woman in a white coat; it must be the doctor, you realized. She came over to your bed and started checking up on your vitals. “It’s good to see you awake Miss. Y/n.” She said, giving you a fake smile. “We’ve taken you off the ventilator. You’re making a quick recovery. The antibiotics are doing their job and the pneumonia is going down. The nurses will be in in a little while to check on your more physical wounds and rebandage them. I’m afraid that since you’re so malnourished and dehydrated, the recovery process will be a little longer than usual. However, since the bond you have with your soulmate is so solid, time of recovery is unpredictable. Do you have any questions for me?”

You shook your head. Everything she just said went over your head, so even if you had a question you wouldn’t understand what it was. You’d ask Hyungwon, if something came to you. “Alright then, just holler if you need anything.” She gave another fake smile then left.

“That, my darling, is why I hate hospitals. The doctors never do anything. They just say what’s wrong with you then give you drugs to cure it.” Hyungwon grumbled. After a couple seconds he switched gears and started worrying about you. “Do you want to sit up?” 

You nodded. Immediately he was pushing a button to adjust the bed and helping you get into a comfortable position. “Is this good?” He asked as he adjusted the pillows behind your back.  
You nodded, smiling in thanks. “Hyu-” Your attempt at talking failed horribly, as you started hacking up a storm. Hyungwon acted quick, grabbing a glass of water off the bedside table and holding it up to your lips, helping you sip on it. 

“You don’t need to talk. It’s okay. Let’s take it slow.” Hyungwon said, putting the cup down. He put his hand on your cheek, so you leaned into it. “Here, how about this,” He used his free hand to reach into his pocket, “how about you type out what you want to say?” he suggested, handing You took it from him, slowly lowering it to your lap. It was heavier than it should have been. You went to the notes and typed out, “I missed you” You showed it to Hyungwon, who smiled sadly.

“I missed you too, Sweetheart.” He mumbled.

“How long was I gone?” You were scared to know the answer, fearing the worst.

“Five months.” He answered, moving his hand off your cheek. He sat on the edge of the bed.

You were hesitant to ask your next question, but you had to know. “What happened to Youngjae?”

Hyungwon took a deep breath and stared at the wall above your head. “I killed him.” He answered, “I wish I could’ve done more to him, but he’s dead. You don’t have to worry about him.”

You nodded, completely emotionless. You weren’t sure how you should handle the news of his death. Should you be happy? Upset that it was Hyungwon that killed him? Or glad that it was him? Your head started to hurt as you thought about it, so you gave up and asked the next question. It seemed that if you stopped to think about his answers, you wouldn’t be able to handle it. You keep having to convince yourself that you’re alright, and that there’s no need to start hyperventilating. “Does everyone know that I was kidnapped?” 

“Yes. They do. In fact, it’s kinda funny,” Hyungwon reached up and scratched the back of his head, “you’re father and I worked together to find you…” He trailed off.

Your eyes widened, and you quickly typed out a “WHAT? How did that happen? What does he know? What have you told him? How did he find out? He doesn’t hate you..does he?”

Hyungwon bit his lip and refused to look at you. “Well, I was raiding Youngjae’s place one night, and your dad seemed to have the same idea. We ran into each other, he tried to arrest me, then things happened and we were working together. He only knows the bare minimum about us though. I haven’t exactly told him much, and that’s that.” 

“You’re hiding something. What is it?”

“I uh...well you see, yesterday when he came by, he told me to leave and stay away from you once you’ve recovered.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “He doesn’t want me, a mafia boss, around his daughter…” He sighed, looking defeated. “Oh...I never really told you have I? That I run the mafia your father is always after?” 

You didn’t say anything, too focused on what your father said to him. Already the world was trying to split you apart, and it was your father doing it! 

It was upsetting. How could your father blatantly ignore the fact that you were soulmates? It was common knowledge that soulmates shouldn’t live their lives without each other once bonding happened. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it too much. Let’s focus on getting you better, then we can talk about this more, okay?” He gave you a reassuring smile. You tried to smile back, but you were sure he could see right through it. “I’ll get Kihyun to bring some food in a little bit. How’s that?”

The idea of eating proper food was enticing. Especially since it’d be Kihyun’s food. His cooking could rival both your mother’s and grandmother’s. Your mouth watered as you thought about all the kinds of foods Kihyun might bring for you to eat. You’d eat it all; you wouldn’t waste a single crumb.

Hyungwon laughed, “I see you like that idea very much.” He said. “Oh my Darling, I have missed you so much,” He murmured, sobering up. “You have no idea how sorry I am.”

You shook your head at him, and quickly typed up your response. “Please don’t blame yourself.”

His smile was bittersweet. He leaned over and placed a kiss on your forehead. “You know I love you, right?” He mumbled.

You closed your eyes and smiled. The intimacy of the moment was more than welcome. You could feel his long fingers card through your hair, detangling it along the way. He placed another kiss on your forehead, then another one on the tip of your nose. He was very gentle with his movements, as if he was scared he’d hurt you. 

You craved his affection. You’ve gone five months without being cared for, and now that there as someone treasuring you, you couldn’t get enough. It felt wonderous knowing that you were still wanted, that you were not a burden, and that you could still rely on people; Hyungwon and his crew in particular.

The moment, however, was ruined by someone coming into the room. Hyungwon sat back, clearly frustrated that his time with you was being interrupted. 

“What are you doing to my daughter?” Your dad boomed.

You flinched. Hyungwon really wasn’t kidding when he said that your father didn’t want him around you. You wanted to defend him, but seeing as you could only type, anything you had to offer wouldn’t be taken as seriously as you’d like. 

“I was letting her know I love her, as anyone would expect a lover to do to the one they love.” He answered, seemingly unfazed by your father’s anger. You were amazed that Hyungwon didn’t back down. Most men would tremble under your father’s gaze. But then, Hyungwon wasn’t like most men, was he?

“You didn’t tell me she woke up.” Your dad walked to your bed, and you watched him, trying to put on a nice smile.

“To be fair, it was 4am, and like I said yesterday, I want to spend some time with her.” Hyungwon replied. 

The tension in the room was palpable, and most of it seemed to be coming from your father. Hyungwon was relaxed, calm, like none of this phased him. And you supposed, it didn’t. Not really.   
“Y/n, how are you feeling?” Your dad asked. 

“She can’t talk yet.” Hyungwon informed, “she needs to work on exercising her vocal chords before she can talk again. So she’s typing things out for now.”

You nodded, and proceeded to type out, “I’m fine. H.One has been taking care of me.” You showed it to your father.

“It makes me happy to see you awake,” he said, “though seeing you call him H.One makes me less happy.”

“Can we not focus on me, and instead focus on the fact that Y/n is recovering?” Hyungwon asked.

“Oh. Right, Y/n, I brought your-” The door opening interrupted him. 

You looked to see who came in, and you swear your heart stopped. In came your brother, a smile on his face. 

“I brought your brother.” Your father finished. 

“Hi sis, glad to see you’re alive.”


End file.
